


Love is Blind

by Tere706



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst? Sometimes?, Blind Reader, Burns, Canon-Typical Violence, Chapter 8 NSFW, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Protective Eddie Brock, Slow Burn, Will update tags in later chapters, first time fic, say the "L" word!, symbrock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-09-07 13:00:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16854412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tere706/pseuds/Tere706
Summary: Liz is a 24 year old woman born with a genetic condition that has left her blind. She does her best to live a full, independent life. Things become a bit more complicated when she's saved from a late night assault by San Fran's very own Demon. Venom and Eddie take an interest in the bold, young woman who doesn't fear them.Will the trust offered on both sides lead to peace or descent into their own personal hells?(Warning: I can't write summaries. First fanfic ever, started by posting on Tumblr... but yeah. Later chapters will have smut)





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I know, most original title EVER. This is my first fanfic and I’ll admit, I’m new to the Venom fanbase. As are many after that beautiful rom-com. If things aren’t formatted right on here, I’m sorry. I’m also new to AO3. RIP. 
> 
> Also, shout out to snarky-badger for the inspiration for this idea. They wrote a fanfic with a blind reader which is short and cute and inspired this whole idea. If you like Venom fanfics you probably already know their work, but if you don’t, go check them out now!

It was 2am and she was hungry. Now, normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. A person could cook something in their kitchen or go pick up food from a 24-hour drive thru or store. These were not options for Liz. All the easy grab-and-eat snacks were gone, and she couldn’t cook her own food. It wasn’t that she lacked the knowledge, it was just a safety issue. Liz was blind.

“Damn it…” Her stomach was attempting to imitate a whale call with its cries for food. The problem began for Liz a couple years after she’d gone fully blind. Chronic non-24 meant that her body lost its ability to regulate her sleep once she couldn’t see daylight. Despite knowing it was 2am and that she should be asleep her body and mind were wide awake.

Normally, Liz had groceries delivered to her home once a week. She could call and order fast food delivered if needed, too. And a nurse checked in on her once a week as well. Liz didn’t want to give up her independence because of her disability, she was only 24 years old. Sometimes that meant she could make stupid decisions out of bullishly refusing to acknowledge risks.

Liz reached up, pulling her hair back into a ponytail to get it out of the way. She walked to the front door with ease. Her apartment only had sparse furniture and she had set everything up herself so that she could navigate with little trouble. Everything had to stay organized. The last two things she grabbed were her jacket, with keys in the right pocket, and her long cane.

There was a little, 24-hour shop just down a couple blocks. She could walk over, grab some snacks, and get back to her apartment with ease. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to do a snack run. That first time had been nerve wracking, but she wouldn’t give up these little freedoms.

Liz paused as she walked out of the apartment complex. She tilted her head back and forth, listening. Cars to her left. Shouting, some from above and more further down the street and to the left. A dog barked on her right side, much farther down the street.

Becoming blind hadn’t been a shock for Liz or her family. They’d known it was a risk before she’d even been born. Her mother had had retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that caused the rods and retinas in a person’s eyes to gradually stop working and deteriorate. Liz’s mother had ended up legally blind, but still able to see light and motion. When Liz had shown signs at a young age of having inherited the condition, they had started raising her in preparation of going blind. Braille was the first language she learned to read. She had been taught to use sound to help navigate. Liz’s parents had even had her learn blind self-defense.

She had never been led to believe becoming blind would define or limit her ability to live a full life. So, Liz did her best to defy her condition and enjoy her life without limits.

This would not be the first time she’d gotten in over her head because of that.

Getting to the store hadn’t been a problem. Liz knew the little place was almost empty and the woman behind the counter helped her grab chips and fruit cups. Breakfast of champions. She paid and held the bag in her left hand, using her right to gently tap her long cane ahead of her. Unlike her apartment, the rest of the world couldn’t be relied upon to stay the same.

It was the trip back to her apartment that proved more… eventful.

Liz heard the raucous laughter ahead of her. Four men. Jay walking across the street to avoid them would have been… well, too stupid even for her. “Blind jay walker gets killed by car”; not a great headline. Instead she moved to walk closer to the buildings, listening carefully as the group came closer. It did not fill her with comfort.

“Hey, hey look.” Deeper voice, a little gruff.

“Ish a chick.” Drunken slur voice finished with an ugly laugh.

“Need a little help, sweetie? You can come party with us!” That one was higher pitched, a bit whiney.

Liz could feel the tension filling her body. Her shoulders hunched slightly and she gritted her teeth. “No thanks. I’m fine.” If they were drunk, and they probably were at this time of night, it was best to stay calm and polite. Telling them to fuck off probably wouldn’t help. Probably.

“Come on, we wanna show you a good time.” Higher pitch voice chuckled, drawing nearer.

Another ugly laugh came from drunken slur voice. “Sshhow! ‘Cause she’sa blind chick!”

It was becoming increasingly clear that this situation would not end peacefully. Liz dropped her bag and moved to get her back against the wall of the building. She held her long cane tightly in her right hand. “Look, I’m not interested. Just leave me alone.” Her voice had an angry snap this time.

When the heavy footfall of the fourth, silent man came within range she struck. Liz’s long cane snapped out, lashing against the silent man’s legs. She’d had to guess how tall he was. Since he hadn’t spoken yet, she didn’t have a reference for where his head was. Otherwise, she would have tried to hit him in his dumb face.

The man yelped in pain and there was a scuffling noise as he stumbled back, cursing. The others were moving now. Liz could hear the sounds, but they were too close and too quick to sort out properly. She lashed out in their direction with her long cane to keep them back. This backfired as one of them grabbed the cane and yanked hard. Liz stumbled forward, the loop around her wrist dragging her along until it slipped loose.

“Fucking bitch!”

“Grab her!”

“She fucking hit me!”

Hands grabbed at Liz. They grabbed her arm, her hair, and pulled her along the ground. She opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could. At the point, getting help was the only real way this would turn out well. One of the men kicked at her ribs, cutting off her scream with a pained gasp. Liz did not go easily. She reached up with her free hand and clawed at the hand tangled in her ponytail, searching for a nerve point to dig her nails into. Liz kicked wildly, trying to hit anything she could.

“Coulda had it easy, but you had to be a bitch!” That was the deep, gruff voice. He was the one holding her hair.

Liz was thrown hard against a wall. She fell back to the ground, wincing from the pain of the impact and her sore ribs. Based on the smells, a combination of garbage and old piss, they’d probably dragged her into an alley. “Go to hell, bastards!” She wheezed out angrily as they laughed.

In retrospect, “Blind jay walker killed by car” would have been a better headline than “Woman found raped and killed in back alley”. Liz had no doubt about their intentions for her. Oh, they might let her live afterwards. It wasn’t like she could easily ID them. But that didn’t make the situation that much better for her now.

There was a solid thump noise from the direction of the opening of the alley. It was odd because Liz was fairly certain it was behind where the men were in relation to her. She barely had time to consider that before the screaming started. First there was a meaty, wet crunch. Then scuffling before three of the men started screaming all at once.

“Holy fuck!”

“Fuck, Adam!”

“Run!”

Everything happened too fast after that. A snarl ripped through the air of the narrow alley, the men who had been attacking her kept screaming and trying to escape. Liz just tucked herself up against the wall she’d been thrown against. If she was small and still maybe she wouldn’t get stepped on.

The last man’s blubbering begging ended in a short scream and another of those meaty, crunchy noises. There was a dull thud of a body being dropped to the ground. The air reeked of blood and fresh piss now, not exactly an improvement on before. Footsteps, strangely soft, moved toward Liz. She pushed herself up into a standing position, bracing back against the wall. Her head twitched a little back and forth as she listened intently to its approach.

“Who are you?”

The footsteps stopped and a low chuckle filled the air. “YOU ARE A BRAVE LITTLE BIRD, AREN’T YOU?”


	2. Walk me home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just getting the second chapter put up right away. Again, I also post these on my Tumblr, under the same name. 
> 
> My goal is to post a chapter a week, minimum. As winter break is fast approaching I might be getting a lot more done. We'll see how the inspiration hits!

Oh lord. He was tall. Really tall.

Liz tilted her head up in the direction the deep, rumbling voice had come from. Most people still preferred to have others looking ‘at’ them, even when the speaker was blind.

“Uh, yeah. I guess.” Her words came out a little too quick, fear still making her heart pound wildly.

Another amused chuckle came from the man. “YOU FOUGHT AGAINST THEM. THAT WAS BRAVE.”

Well, that was true. She hadn’t really thought about it being brave. Liz couldn’t run away from the men, so fighting had been her only option. “Well, thank you for helping me finish them off.” She gave a crooked smile and shrugged slightly. Her back was still braced against the alley wall. At this point she didn’t want to step forward for fear of stepping in blood.

“MMMM, THEY INTERRUPTED OUR SEARCH FOR SNACKS. THEIR HEADS WERE A SUITABLE REPLACEMENT.” The voice had stepped closer to her, she could hear his step squish a little in the blood.

“Please don’t take offense, but does that mean you are the Demon of San Francisco?” Liz asked slowly. She hadn’t heard of anyone or thing else choosing to eat the heads of criminals in the city. Then again, the news wasn’t always accurate.

He snorted and turned his head away, voice echoing differently. “WE ARE CALLED THAT, BUT WE PREFER TO GO BY VENOM.”

Liz couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that escaped her. She wrapped her arms around her bruised ribs, laughing hurt, and half doubled over. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, don’t be mad! It’s just… Venom? That’s really not much less scary than the Demon of San Francisco! Easier to say, at least.”

“IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE SCARY.”

He moved swiftly, entering her personal space as he had spoken. Liz choked back a gasp of surprise as she felt his hand touch her arm and side. It was a very large hand, claws lightly pricking into her jacket. Heat permeated through the material quickly.

“YOU ARE HURT?” His voice was lower, angrier this time. At least Liz knew it wasn’t directed at her, which actually made her feel much better about it. Warmer.

She reached out without thinking, brushing her fingers lightly from his wrist up his arm. He was very hot and his skin didn’t feel like a normal human’s. It was smooth and almost slick under her fingers. But the corded strength under that skin was more than obvious. “Not really. One of them kicked me. I don’t think anything is broken.”

The muscles in his arm tensed slightly, his claws sinking a little deeper into her jacket to lightly prick against her skin beneath. Liz pulled her hand away quickly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. Thank you again, for saving me. I should go find my own snacks and get home.”

Venom left his hand on her side for a long moment before drawing it carefully away from her. She could hear him step back from her and faintly feel the decrease in heat. “WE WILL TAKE YOU BACK TO YOUR SNACKS. YOU HELPED GET US A TASTY SNACK.”

Liz paused in surprise for a moment. “Ah, thank you. That would make it easier to find. After all, there’s a chance I wouldn’t see it.” She chuckled at the end and gestured at her eyes, inviting him in on the joke.

He gave a low chuckle of his own after a moment. Venom moved close again and wrapped an arm around her smaller form. He was surprisingly careful of her sore ribs as he lifted her up and walked a few paces. Liz tilted her head in surprise as he set her feet back to the ground.

“NO BLOOD FROM HERE, LITTLE BIRD.” He sounded very amused by her confused expression.

“I see. I suppose tracking blood everywhere would be… trouble.” She turned toward the entrance to the alley and paused. It wasn’t fear. Not really. Without her long cane she actually felt blind. Liz couldn’t check the ground ahead of her and she couldn’t clearly remember how far she’d been dragged during the attack. It was all just a terrifying blur now.

Before she decided to just stumble forward, a warm hand closed around her elbow and began leading her. Venom led her out of the alley and then about ten feet down the street. Liz felt her feet stumble slightly a few times over an uneven bit of ground, but he had done well in leading.

There was the crinkling sound of a plastic bag being picked up and Venom snorted. “CHIPS AND FRUIT CUPS?” His voice was full of disdain for her chosen food.

“Hey! Breakfast of champions. Don’t knock it until you try it.” Liz snapped right back, reaching out and snagging the bag from his hand based on the sound alone. She could almost feel his surprise at her action.

“CHOCOLATE AND TATER TOTS IS FAR SUPERIOR.” His voice sounded amused again, if a little condescending. He had let go of Liz’s elbow and moved a few steps away. She waited, holding the plastic bag with one hand. Liz tilted her head left and right as she listened to him move away. Little bird? Was he calling her that because of how she moved her head? It was kinda bird like.

A familiar handle was pressed into her right hand a moment later. “THIS IS ALSO YOURS, LITTLE BIRD.”

“My long cane! Thank you.” She tested it against the ground for a moment. “Good, not broken. Look, Venom, you can use my name. I’m Liz.”

“WE LIKE LITTLE BIRD BETTER.”

“I politely disagree.” Liz grinned broadly. “Once again, thank you, Venom. I should probably get home now.”

Liz had already started walking when Venom spoke again, moving to come up alongside her again. “WE DO NOT WISH TO HAVE TO SAVE YOU AGAIN, LITTLE BIRD. LET US TAKE YOU HOME SAFELY.”

Liz tilted her head slightly, turning her face in his direction. “Well, I can’t really disagree with that. But you’ve already done plenty for me.” She didn’t want to be a burden on him. Surely he had more important things to deal with. Ya know, murders and drug dealers.

“NONSENSE.”

A little squeak of surprise escaped Liz as he scooped her up against his broad chest. She quickly pulled the loop at the end of her long cane around her wrist and used that arm to hold onto him. Venom’s chest vibrated with an amused chuckle. Liz felt his hand around her thighs, holding her tight. Her own free arm was wrapped around his neck, clutching at his back. Liz could feel his hot breath against the side of her face and down her neck, making her shudder slightly.

“HOLD TIGHT, LITTLE BIRD.”

Liz tensed and clutched him a little tighter a moment before the world jolted. She yelped as she was pressed tighter against his chest by the force of their motion. Her hair whipped around and behind them from the sudden wind. Everything shifted as it felt like they whipped around a corner.

The trip was too short, over before Liz wanted. Venom was gentle as he set her feet back on the ground. Her legs were a little shaky after that wild ride.

“That was amazing!” Liz gushed, panting hard and grinning wildly.

There was a long pause before Venom replied, but his voice was quite pleased. “YOU ARE WELCOME. WE ARE GLAD YOU ENJOYED.”

She heard him stepping away and reached out quickly. “Wait! Please, just… Look, can you come up to my apartment for a moment? I just want to give you something real quick, as a thank you.” Liz babbled quickly to keep him from leaving.

“LEAD THE WAY.” Venom chuckled, apparently amused by her frantic request.

Liz smiled again and nodded, turning and heading into the building. She moved swiftly up the stairs to the third floor. Nerves made her hands shake a little as she hurried to unlock her apartment door. She could hear the surprisingly light steps of Venom following just behind her. More than once she felt the heat from his body leaching into her back. As she stepped into her apartment she reached out and felt for the light switch, flicking it on. Liz dropped her bag of snacks and long cane on the couch.

“Close the door, wait there just a moment!” She called back as she moved quickly into her kitchen. The door clicked softly behind her as Venom shut it, the lock sliding into place. Liz focused on opening up a cabinet and pulling out what she was looking for.

A moment later she was back in the living room, smiling brightly in Venom’s direction. “Here, since you gave up the snack you were looking for to save me…” Liz held up the bar of chocolate toward him proudly.

The bar was snatched out of her open hands a moment later, claws barely scraping against her skin. “THANK YOU, LITTLE BIRD.” Based on the swift crunch noise Liz assumed the chocolate was acceptable. “BUT WHY DID YOU GO OUT FOR FOOD WHEN YOU HAD THIS HERE?” He sounded a bit disgruntled.

Liz blew out a breath and put her hands on her hips. “Because chocolate is not an appropriate breakfast!”

Venom snorted softly. “WRONG.” Liz felt one clawed finger stroke down her cheek suddenly. “BUT THANK YOU. THE CHOCOLATE WAS GOOD.”

She was surprised by the tender motion. Surprised and warmed by it. “Yeah, well… just so you know… if you ever need a place to crash at for some reason my window is unlocked. You can let yourself in. I won’t even call the cops.”

His chuckle shifted direction as he moved toward the window. “WE WILL REMEMBER THAT, LITTLE BIRD.” He sounded far too satisfied with himself as he opened the window and slid out into the night.

Liz moved to the window a moment later, feeling the cool air. She leaned her head and shoulders out. “You could’ve closed it behind you, you know! And my name is Liz!” She pulled her upper body back into the apartment and firmly shut the window.

But she made sure to leave it unlocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live and breathe comments. 
> 
> Want chapters faster? More comments = chapters written faster
> 
> Scientific fact, trust me, I have a degree.


	3. Sharing headspace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter, sorry. This just felt like a good place to stop and I'm still rather new to writing Venom and Eddie from their POV. Eddie is still just a mess and Venom is... Venom. I wanted to give a bit of background for what was going on from their side of things too.
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter should be quite a bit longer! And back to the action!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> (Also, look at me, figuring out bold and italics on here!)

**“HER LIGHT IS OFF.”** Venom was crouched on the roof of the building. The one window that he cared about across the street was frustratingly dark.

 _It’s late, V._ Eddie’s response was distracted, his mind focused on the night before.

~

Venom had been hungry and demanding his favorite tater tots and chocolate. It was only after he’d threatened to eat Eddie’s kidney that he’d been willing to leave his work. Eddie had been on a roll with his writing and didn’t want to lose momentum. It was probably because of his irritation that he’d been so willing to give in and let Venom take over when they heard a scream. Eating heads was faster than shopping too.

They’d expected the victim to run as soon as she could. After all, they were literally eating people. Even when Eddie realized she was blind, she hadn’t panicked. No screams because of them, just the human monsters. She’d just… had a rather pleasant conversation with them. Venom had quickly decided that he liked this human, one who seemed willing to meet him on his terms.

 _ **SHE IS HURT, EDDIE. THEY HURT HER.**_ Venom’s thoughts surged with rage as he touched her wounded side. And she seemed so nonchalant about what had been done to her. Before he’d thought his hand had tightened possessively around her.

 _Wow, V, calm down. Don’t hurt her. You already ate them._ Eddie thought hurriedly to make Venom back down from the girl. Offer to help her back to her stuff.

Venom had been pleased that he could touch her again, lifting her over the blood and leading her back to the street. His little bird had disappointing taste in snacks, chips and fruit. At least the chips were potato chips.

Too soon she was ready to head off on her own again, almost as though nothing had happened.

_You did good, V._

**_NOT ENOUGH, EDDIE. WE WILL PROTECT HER._ **

_Wait, what?!_

He’d had to catch up with her, independent little thing. Eddie had seemed certain that she wouldn’t agree to let Venom take her home. It brought Venom great pleasure to be able to prove Eddie wrong about that. Even more to cradle his little bird’s small body against his own. She clung to him and shivered so pleasingly when he dipped his head to breathe on her.

Such a brave little bird, exhilarated by the wild swing back to her apartment. And even more to invite him inside. Feisty, bold, and silly. Venom was amused by her offer to allow him to visit. As if he needed permission. He had no intention of leaving his little bird alone for long.

~

 **“SHE WAS AWAKE AT THIS TIME LAST NIGHT.”** Venom growled out, claws digging into the edge of the roof. The window was probably unlocked. There was nothing actually stopping him from going in and exploring her den.

 _Usually people sleep at night, V. But, she’s blind. She doesn’t need to turn the lights on._ Eddie mused slowly, refocusing.

Venom stood and paced a few steps to either side along the roof. **“SHE TURNED THE LIGHT ON LAST NIGHT!”**

 _Probably for us. Look, V, you don’t want to scare her by just showing up again. We need to plan this out a bit better._ There was a heaviness to Eddie’s words, mental exhaustion.

 **“YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN TOO.”**  Venom’s voice held an angry snap, daring Eddie to disagree.

And Eddie couldn’t disagree. He wanted to know more about Liz, to have a chance to talk to her himself. _Yes, but not yet. Give it a little time. Besides, I’m tired._ His mental voice slowed and dropped lower on the last two words.

Venom froze and tilted his head slightly. Eddie wasn’t tired, not really. He was sad again. He sighed and turned away from his vigil over the darkened window. There was no use waiting now, he might as well take them back to the den.

 **“EDDIE, YOU HURT, EDDIE.”** His voice dropped into a croon as he leapt from building to building effortlessly.

_I don’t want to talk about it._

Fine, that was just fine. Venom left it alone until they returned to the apartment. He flowed back into Eddie’s body, but left two tendrils wrapped around the man in a pseudo-hug. _**YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT ANNIE AGAIN.**_

Eddie couldn’t say that Venom knew when to give up a fight. He threw himself down onto the rickety couch and covered his eyes with one arm. “I’m happy for her. Their wedding was beautiful. And moving was good for Dan’s career. I’m _happy_.” Even Eddie had a hard time believing that when his words came out closer to a growl.

 _ **WE COULD HAVE WON HER BACK, EDDIE. SHE LOVED US.**_ Venom tightened his tendrils around Eddie, wrapping around his waist and chest.

“No. Dan… Dan is better for her. They deserve each other. They’re happy together. Being with me – with us… it would have put Anne into more danger. It’s better this way.” Eddie slowly sighed, letting the tension ease from his body. “Besides, I have you. We have each other. I don’t need anyone else.” This time his voice was a low murmur as the fingers of his free hand twined with Venom’s tendrils.

_**WE ARE TOGETHER. WE ARE VENOM.** _


	4. I have some questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posts once a week? Ha ha, yeah right. Look who has no self control.
> 
> But seriously, though, thank you. Thank you to everyone who left a comment. Because of you I did a little happy dance in front of people while grinning like an idiot and they now think I'm insane because I can't explain WHY. Thank you to everyone who left a kudo, each one makes me smile. 
> 
> I've been grinning like an idiot all week and it's gotten to the point where people are asking if I'm on drugs. So thank you all for checking out my little work. I'll be doing my best to keep entertaining you all!
> 
> Just, thank you all so much. 
> 
> *incomprehensible pterodactyl noises*

Wandering around a neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning with a chocolate bar in her pocket wasn’t necessarily the  _best_  life choice Liz had ever made. It wasn’t like she was looking for trouble. She just… had hoped to see her toothy savior again. The last few days she had been searching for information about “The Demon of San Francisco”. It wasn’t an obsession, really it wasn’t. It was just curiosity.

But another night with no success was a disappointment. He probably hadn’t given her a second thought after leaving.

Liz unlocked her apartment door and slipped inside, nudging it shut before freezing in place. It was chilly in her apartment. She always kept it warm and comfortable inside. Maybe she could have explained away the chill as the heater going out… but her apartment also had a distinctly burned scent lingering in the air.

“Hello? Who’s there?” Clutching her long cane, she strode forward to check if the window was the source of the chill. Maybe she’d been robbed?

Liz gave a muffled curse as her feet tangled in something and she went sprawling across the floor. Why the fuck was the side table lying on the floor here?!

 **“LITTLE BIRD…?”**  The floor creaked slightly as Venom spoke, his voice a raspy whisper of its former self.

She kicked the offending table away from her legs and pulled herself back up as she heard the silly nickname. Liz barely recognized his voice, it sounded so torn up and weak. “Venom? What happened?!” The panic in her chest continued to tighten.

Venom shifted his weight, pushing himself a bit more off the floor.  **“TRAP. HURT.”**

Liz bit her lip, chewing on it for a moment to try and focus. “I’m not a nurse. I can’t help you. Do you want me to call 91-“

 **“NO! NO… WE NEED FOOD AND REST.”**  For a moment his voice gained that sharp edge before sinking back into the exhausted rasp.

“Okay… Okay. Can you get yourself to my bedroom? That will be more comfortable than the floor. I’ll get food for you. You can stay as long as you need.”

 **“YESSS…”**  His voice slurred a little at the end. Liz worried that he was pushing himself too far, but it sounded like he made it back to the bedroom alright. Aside from stumbling into the walls a few times.

She was focused on getting into the kitchen and collecting anything edible for him. What did Venom eat? Was he allergic to something? Well, hopefully he would recognize if she brought something he couldn’t have. Groceries had been delivered yesterday, so she had plenty of snacks available. Liz piled them all onto a tray so she could carry them easier. Front and foremost among them was two boxes of chocolate.

Despite wanting to rush back to the bedroom, she had to take her time. Liz knew that Venom had at least knocked over the side table when he’d come in. Other things might be scattered too. So she carefully shuffled forward, nudging things out of her path when she encountered them. The broken pieces of the small vase that had been on the side table were no surprise and she was glad she hadn’t taken her shoes off yet.

“Venom? I have some food for you. Once businesses open up we can order more if you need it.” Liz said softly, setting the tray of offerings at the end of the bed.

There was no response.

“Venom?” He’d said he needed food and rest, did that imply needing them in a certain order?

Liz sighed in frustration and carefully felt along the bed for him, determined to wake him up enough to at least eat the chocolate first. Her hand touched warm flesh. Warm, human, flesh. She yanked her hand away and backed up a step, heart racing again. That was an arm. That was a man’s arm, not Venom’s arm. She knew the difference, hadn’t been able to get the texture of Venom’s skin out of her head.

“Calm down.” Hearing her own voice helped her start thinking again. Venom had always said “we”. She’d assumed he was using something like the royal “we”, but what if he hadn’t? There was no way a random guy was sleeping in her bed if Venom had just come in here five minutes ago. Venom probably would have eaten a random robber taking a catnap.

With that solid logic in mind, she reached out again. The man was still there, hadn’t just vanished like she’d half hoped. “Wake up, come on. I’ve brought food.” Liz shook his shoulder, hoping that she didn’t cause him too much more pain.

The man woke with a start, one hand snapping out and grabbing Liz’s arm in a tight hold. His breathing was fast, panicked. Not wanting to further provoke him, Liz stayed still and didn’t try to struggle. “It’s okay. You’re safe. It’s okay.” She murmured softly.

“Oh shit. Liz. I’m sorry.” The man quickly let go of her arm. Liz rubbed the spot he’d grabbed, there would probably be bruises tomorrow. Great.

“I brought food for Venom. Can you eat it or… where is he?” Liz asked slowly, still wary. He did know her name, so maybe her guess had been right.

The bed lurched as the strange man dove at the food. Liz quickly backed up, listening as he ripped open containers and quickly began devouring the food within. Also great, there would be a mess too. After a few minutes the frantic sounds slowed, the man shifting to sit more properly on the bed.

“Sorry. I… We were ambushed. V used a lot of himself to repair me…” The man trailed off slowly.

Liz sighed and rubbed her arm again. “Okay, but that leaves me with a  _lot_  of questions. More with every word you say, practically. Let’s get the important ones now. Who are you? Is Venom okay?”

There was a long pause from the man. “Venom will be fine. He’s just recovering. I’m Eddie.”

“Venom said he needed food and rest. So why don’t you get some sleep for now and we can talk, all three of us, once he’s better. I think you owe me some answers now, buddy.” Liz crossed her arms, defying him to argue with her.

Eddie chuckled weakly. “As the doctor orders. We’ll need more food…”

“Then I will order some once places open up. They can deliver.”

“Okay, okay.” Eddie said in surrender, lying back down. “Thank you, for helping us.” His voice was softer, sleep already dragging him down into darkness.

Liz walked out of the bedroom as she answered. “I’m repaying the favor.”

~

There was no chance of getting sleep after that. Liz spent the rest of the early morning hours carefully cleaning up her apartment. Everything had to go back to its spot. This was her safe place, where things stayed the same. She could walk and live with confidence within this space.

As soon as businesses started to open she called and ordered food to be delivered to the apartment. Since it was on her dime, Venom and Eddie could deal with whatever they got. Liz was placing a bag of burgers on her small kitchen table when she heard movement from her bedroom. Well, they weren’t dead at least.

“I’ve got food in here, if you’re hungry.” She called out before slowly taking a seat at the table. Her legs were shaking and she felt suddenly nervous. Yes, she had questions, but she was also eager to speak with Venom again. Liz needed to know he was okay.

There was a little disappointment when she didn’t recognize the footsteps that came into the kitchen. It meant it was Eddie and not Venom. “Burgers and tacos, what could be better for breakfast?” Eddie’s voice held dry humor.

“Chips and fruit cups.” Was Liz’s automatic reply.

Eddie paused and then sat down, opening one of the bags. “Yeah. Or chocolate and tater tots. I guess I ate all the chocolate last night, huh?”

Liz nodded a bit, fingertips tracing the edge of the table. “You did. Is Venom… better?”

 **“YES, LITTLE BIRD. YOU HAVE OUR THANKS.”**  Venom’s voice sounded normal, but it sounded like he was shorter somehow.

“He’s doing his impersonation of an alien noodle coming out of my shoulder.” Eddie explained. “You, uh, looked concerned still.”

Liz gave a quiet sigh of relief and smiled faintly. “Okay. I’ll admit, I didn’t think we’d meet again like this. Why don’t you two explain whatever you can. Then I’ll ask any other questions I have.”

**“REASONABLE.”**

“Well, Venom is an alien symbiote and I’m his host. Since, you know, we have the ability to do things… I figured we could help people.”

**“AND I GET TO EAT HEADS.”**

“But only bad people!” Eddie said hurriedly and then chuckled. “You knew that already, though. I’m not sure what else you really want to know…”

Liz huffed out a breath. “How about what happened last night?” And why they hadn’t come to visit sooner.

“Oh!” Eddie sighed and unwrapped another burger, giving it to Venom to eat based on the happy munching sounds. “We were out looking for any trouble and got… ambushed. Fire is one of V’s biggest weaknesses. We weren’t sure if they got a look at me, so we didn’t want to go back to my place. V was already weakened and I was burned pretty bad too.”

“And you figured they wouldn’t know to look for you here. Now that you’re better you can check your place before going home.” Liz nodded slowly as she considered his answer. “You said you were burned? Do you need to go to a hospital? Venom seemed really against it.”

 **“NO HOSPITALS. WE HEALED EDDIE.”**  Venom sounded proud of himself.

“Yeah, V got me healed up enough to function and then rested. Thanks for all the food, we need a lot of energy.” Eddie chuckled. “Hospitals have a variety of dangers for us now. Not least is them finding out about V.”

Liz gave a soft hum of agreement, tracing thoughtless patterns on the table now. “You’re putting a lot of trust in me keeping quiet about this.”

There was a long silence after her words. Liz had the feeling Eddie and Venom were somehow talking it out between them.

“Well, yeah. But you’ve kinda proven your trust at this point. Besides, you only know my first name.” Eddie said with a teasingly note.

She gave a faint snort of derision. “Eddie Brock, reporter.”

There was a choking noise as Eddie struggled to cough and breathe past a bite of food. Venom was very helpfully laughing his head off.  **“WELL DONE, LITTLE BIRD!”**

“Thanks, Ven.”

**“…VEN?”**

“If you use a pet name for me, I’m going to return the favor.”

**“NO.”**

“Don’t whine, you like it. I can tell by the tone of your voice.” Liz grinned cheekily in their direction.

Eddie got his breathing under control again by then. “How?!”

Liz shrugged her shoulders. “I recognize the voice. I mean, it would have been much harder if you hadn’t told me your first name, but I could have figured it out eventually. Eddie, I’m blind. I don’t see people, so voices are my go to for recognizing someone.”

“Fair enough. Look, you’ve more than returned the favor for saving you. We’ll get going.” Eddie pushed back the chair, standing up.

“Wait! I… look, I enjoy chatting with you both. And I imagine you don’t have many people that know your secret?”

“No…” Eddie said slowly. “But-“

“No buts!” Liz snapped back hotly. “You’re both welcome to stop by, whenever. Not just when you’re burned half to death. I…” She paused and shrugged slightly. “…I don’t have a lot of company either. So, if you ever want to talk…”

 **“WE WILL VISIT. OFTEN. EDDIE IS JUST BEING A PUSSY.”**  Venom’s voice came out as a pleased rumble. Often. How often was often? Liz didn’t quite work up the courage to ask that, yet.

“Shut up, V. And hide so we can go home.” Eddie sounded flustered, Liz imagined that he was probably a bit embarrassed by that. “Thank again. We’ll come by for a more casual visit. I promise.”

“Any time, Eddie. Bye, Ven.” She waved calmly as their voices moved away, toward her door.

 **“WE WILL SEE YOU SOON, LITTLE BIRD.”**  Venom replied, voice becoming quieter at the end. Presumably he was ‘hiding’ as Eddie had demanded.

Liz sat at her kitchen long after she’d heard the door click shut. She couldn’t stop the stupid smile that spread across her face. Finally, she had to push herself up to stagger to her bedroom. Liz couldn’t remember how long it had been since she’d gotten sleep. She grinned, thinking of the playful banter and hoping it would lead to sweet dreams. Liz touched the blankets on her bed and froze, smile slipping away. The bed was still a mess from last night’s feeding frenzy.

“God damn it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait... Do you hear that?
> 
> That's the sound of me ignoring all my work and responsibilities to write fanfiction. 
> 
> RIP


	5. Jealous?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugggghhhh... This chapter was so hard to write for some reason. I just... I needed to push this out so I can get into the next two chapters. So it's a bit shorter again. I just had to stop writing because I wasn't getting any happier with it. 
> 
> Alternate title for this chapter:  
> PSA: Be kind to those around you. Everyone is struggling with issues and insecurities, even if you can't see them.

Eddie slammed the fridge door closed. He twisted the cap off his beer and threw it at the trash can, which was a complete miss. Tipping the bottle back, he chugged half of it before he even flopped back onto the couch.

**_YOU’RE ANGRY._ **

“Yeah. I am. What the fuck was that, V?” Eddie growled out, shifting position to kick off his shoes.

**_YOU SAID NOT TO COME BACK TO THE APARTMENT. DANGEROUS._ **

He groaned and closed his eyes. “I didn’t mean that you should go to Liz’s place instead!”

 ** _SHE SAID WE COULD._** Venom pointed out reasonably.

“Well. Fine. But what about the rest of that?! Huh?!” Eddie demanded before taking another swig from his bottle.

Venom was quiet for several seconds before answering. **_WHAT WAS WHAT, EDDIE?_** He was probably trying to go for innocent sounding, but he just sounded smug.

“You were flirting with her, damn it! And you could have warned me about where we were before I woke up!”

**_WE FLIRTED WITH HER BEFORE, TOO. YOU WEREN’T ANGRY THEN._ **

Eddie paused and then finished off his beer. “That was different.” He grumbled after a moment.

Venom manifested out of Eddie, his head curling around to look at Eddie with narrowed eyes. **“DIFFERENT, HOW, EDDIE?”**

He looked away from those strange, milky eyes. Anger and pain were making his stomach churn and he suddenly realized that drinking might not have been the best idea.

 **“EDDIE, TALK TO US. YOU FEEL SICK, HURT. WE WANT TO HELP.”** Venom had lowered his voice into a gentler croon, trying to sooth his host. He leaned his head against Eddie’s forehead.

Eddie blew out a breath and set the empty bottle down on the floor next to the couch. “It was different because it was just you and her. She didn’t even know I existed. Well, now she does. And she… doesn’t seem very impressed.” He reached up a hand to stroke along Venom’s head. “She was very focused on you.” The words came out as a disgruntled mutter.

Venom rumbled, keeping his forehead pressed to Eddie’s. **“YOU WERE JUST A STRANGER IN HER BED-“**

“Which was your fault.”

**“FAIR. AND WE WERE THE ONE TO SAVE HER FROM THE BAD MEN.”**

He threw his hands up in the air when Venom said that. “Exactly! But it wasn’t just you, it was both of us! If I hadn’t waited to go out for your damn food run we wouldn’t have even been there to save her!”

Venom gave a faint hum of agreement. **“AND DID YOU TELL HER THAT?”**

“Well… I… no…” The sinking feeling from his chest washed over the anger, leaving behind only guilt and pain. “I didn’t want to brag. Or for her to think about us eating heads.”

 **“NO. BUT YOU DID INSULT HER INTELLIGENCE.”** Venom, the bastard, sounded a bit gleeful at that.

Eddie groaned and pushed Venom’s head away from his own so he could scrub at his face. “God, don’t remind me. I didn’t think she would figure out who I was by my voice.” He sighed and started stroking Venom’s head again. “Taunting her about it probably wasn’t a smart move.”

Venom’s tongue curled around one of Eddie’s wrists, tightening slightly. **“MMM, NO.”**

“Thanks, V.” Eddie muttered dryly. He blew out a breath and closed his eyes. “I really made an ass of myself, huh?”

**“YES. BUT SHE STILL INVITED YOU BACK.”**

Eddie felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah. She invited us both back. I’ll have to figure out a way into her good graces.”

The pair laid on the couch for almost an hour. Venom moved to place his head on Eddie’s chest and rumble gently. It always seemed to comfort his host. Eddie had, wisely, not explained that Venom reminded him a cuddly cat when he did that.

“V?”

**“YES, EDDIE?”**

“You like, Liz, right?”

**“YES, SHE IS A BRAVE LITTLE BIRD.”**

“…Would you rather be with her?” Eddie’s voice was soft, almost distant.

Venom’s head snapped up and his eyes narrowed. **“YOU ARE OUR HOST, EDDIE! WE CHOSE YOU. YOU ARE WHY WE STAYED ON THIS PLANET. WE WILL NOT GIVE YOU UP. WE ARE VENOM AND YOU ARE OURS.”** As he spoke his head came closer to Eddie’s face, wicked teeth parted.

Eddie cradled Venom’s head in his hands, unafraid of the teeth that could so easily have killed him. “Fuck, I really made a mess of this, didn’t I? It’s just… I seem to fuck up every good thing in my life, V. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t go back to being alone again.”

 **“NEVER ALONE AGAIN, EDDIE. NEVER.”** Venom said firmly. **“WERE YOU ANGRY ABOUT US FLIRTING WITH OUR LITTLE BIRD, OR US NOT FLIRTING WITH YOU?”**

“V… I just… you get along with her so well. Like it’s natural. And for us… it wasn’t that easy. I almost got you killed because of that MRI.” He stroked his thumbs gently along Venom’s jawline, reminding himself that his symbiote was here, was whole. “Maybe I am feeling a little…”

  **“JEALOUS? WE LOVE YOU, EDDIE. COME TO BED, LET US SHOW YOU.”**

“Okay, V.” Eddie leaned up, placing a gentle kiss on Venom’s teeth. “But you better play nice.”

Eddie stood up and staggered over to his bedroom while Venom chuckled into his ear. **“WE WILL PLAY, BUT IT MAY NOT BE NICE.”** His tongue slid around Eddie’s neck in a slow caress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know I cut that off sooner than everyone wanted. Like I said above, I was just really unhappy with this chapter. Even writing in some fun symbrock smut at the end wouldn't have made it better. It just would have been forced. The smut is coming, but I also value character development. So you'll just have to suffer with me a bit longer.
> 
> Another alternate title:  
> In which Eddie struggles with the idea of polyamory.


	6. Dinner and a backstory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone! Sorry for being kinda whiny about the last chapter. Your support has been so amazing! 
> 
> Enjoy this dinner and a backstory...

Why. Did. Everything. Hurt.

Liz dragged her feet up the stairs, clinging to the railing. Sure, don’t take the elevator. Stairs are part of the cool down. What had she been thinking? Her long cane, looped around her free wrist, thumped up the stairs with each step. And it wasn’t like getting to her apartment would be that much relief. There wasn’t any food left, since Eddie and Venom had gone through most of it two days ago. No. Going hungry tonight would be a better option than walking to the store. Maybe she could work up the energy to order food delivered…?

She paused and frowned, sniffing the air. Was someone cooking? God, it smelled good. Liz groaned and half pulled herself the last few steps to her landing. Could she just bribe a neighbor into sharing?

“Liz? What happened to you?”

And god damn it, if Eddie sounded any more amused about her situation she was going to punch him.

“Nothing. Eddie.” Her words were clipped with anger. “I was working out. At a gym. Like normal people do.”

Okay, maybe taking out her anger on her first target was kinda… shitty. But her legs felt like cooked noodles and her muscles felt like smushed jelly. She was sweaty and tired and really hungry.

“Whoa, easy there. I come with a peace offering. I picked up Italian food from this little restaurant I know. Figured I could pay you back for feeding us.” Eddie chuckled and Liz heard him pick up a couple plastic bags, jiggling them a little.

Her mouth filled with saliva and she was surprised she didn’t start drooling. “Oh my god, that sounds heavenly, yes.” She shuffled to the door, fumbling her keys before managing to get it open.

“You can set it out on the kitchen table. Just let me clean up real quick.” Liz set her long cane on its hanger before going back to her bedroom. Since she actually had company, she had to pick out clothes before she got into the shower. Walking naked back and forth might have been interesting… in other occasions.

“Sorry Eddie, I promise I’ll be quick.” Liz called out as she took her bundle of clothes into the bathroom. No matter how hungry she was she needed a hot shower before sitting down.

“Take your time, we can wait.”

**“NO, HURRY. WE ARE HUNGRY. EDDIE WON’T LET US EAT WITHOUT YOU HERE.”**

Liz had a stupid grin on her face for the whole shower. The spring in her step when she came out might have been from the hot water, or being clean, but it might also have been from hearing the voice of her favorite alien guest. She’d barely toweled her hair before hurrying out and it dripped annoyingly down her back.

“Sorry, guys. I hope the food isn’t cold?” Liz asked as she pulled out the chair she’d used last time Eddie and Venom had ‘visited’.

“No, I think it’s alright. I can make a plate for you, if you want.” Eddie offered helpfully.

Liz frowned. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather do it myself.”

“Ah, I just thought-“

“That I couldn’t handle it? I don’t need to be treated like a child.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend.”

 **“EDDIE IS KINDA AN IDIOT. DON’T HOLD THAT AGAINST US.”** Venom’s voice was slightly muffled, presumably because he had started eating as soon as she sat down.

“I won’t.” Liz chuckled softly.

“Geez, attacked on all sides. How about we trade questions? You know more about me than I know about you at this point.” Eddie offered as he settled back in his chair.

Liz nodded after a moment. “Seems fair to me. I did interrogate you last time.”

Eddie chuckled, taking a bite of his food. “Mmmhmm. And I’m supposed to be the investigative reporter here.”

Liz had carefully served herself a little of the food from each of the take-out containers. Pasta was almost always a safe bet and Eddie had wisely chosen a carbonara. The risotto though… Liz pushed it to one side of her plate after the first bite. “Don’t leave me hanging, Eddie.”

“I was thinking. You know, like normal people do.” He teased right back. “Fine, we’ll start with the elephant in the room. Why are you blind?”

Liz twirled her fork on her plate for a few moments. “Genetic condition. From my mother. I had vision when I was younger. By the time I was sixteen I was fully blind, so it’s been about eight years since I was able to see anything.”

“And your family doesn’t visit now that you’re on your own? You said you don’t have company over.” His voice sounded concerned, perhaps a bit displeased.

“Sweet of you to worry, but that’s because they’re dead. My mother died of cancer when I was nineteen and dad… Well, she was the love of his life, his whole world. He killed himself a month later. It’s hard not to blame him, but I want to remember the good in him more than the pain.” Liz spoke softly, her voice becoming distant. It had been almost five years since she’d lost them, but the pain only faded. It never went away.

 **“WE KNEW OUR LITTLE BIRD WAS STRONG.”** Venom sounded proud.

Liz took the lull in questions to focus on eating for a few moments. The food was already getting cold and she wanted to enjoy it while she could.

“Mmm, but I do interact with people away from my apartment. The only person that visits here regularly, aside from you two, is a visiting nurse.” Liz sighed and leaned back in her chair. “But she just got married and is leaving to be with her army husband. I’m happy for her, but she’s been with me for three years. Now I’ll have to get to know a whole new nurse.”

They paused again so that Eddie could help Venom finish off the rest of the carbonara take-out container.

“I don’t get that. You seem so… easy to talk to.” Eddie said slowly, as though trying to pick his words carefully.

Liz shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t like people… No, that’s wrong. I _don’t_ like people. People are assholes and they judge me based on my lack of vision. I don’t want pity. I don’t want anyone to assume I need help. If I need it, I’ll ask. I’m a fucking adult!” She huffed and then sighed. “I don’t like people. But individuals can be pleasant.”

Silence stretched among the three of them. Even Venom was quiet. The tension was thick, but Liz just leaned back in her chair and refused to give an inch. She wasn’t going to spell this out. It was a kind of test for Eddie. Her heart started racing as the man remained quiet longer than she’d anticipated. The truth was that she wanted to get along with Eddie, not only because of Venom, but because he was interesting in his own right.

“Well. I’ve fucked up several times, huh?” Eddie said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

“Yeah. Basically.”

Eddie sighed and leaned in closer. “Look, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that’s like for you. Just… I didn’t mean to make you feel… lesser. In my defense, I couldn’t really know that was a sensitive thing for you.”

 **“WE DIDN’T MAKE HER MAD.”** Venom was quick to point out his own position.

Liz smiled and turned her head a little more toward his voice. “No. Your first words to me were calling me brave. Not because I was blind, but because I had tried to fight four guys. And since then, you’ve just been… accepting of my situation. It’s a thing, it’s there, but no need to make a fuss about it. It’s very refreshing.”

 **“WE AIM TO PLEASE, LITTLE BIRD.** ” Liz felt a warm, slick appendage slide up along her cheek, the tip flicking against her lower lip. **“YOU HAD FOOD ON YOUR FACE.”** Oh god. That had been his tongue. His really long tongue.

“Ehhhh….” Liz felt her face heating up, eyes widening. “Th-thanks, Ven.”

Eddie made a noise, somewhere between disgusted and disparaging. “Liz, you can smack him for pushing personal boundaries. He really doesn’t get it.”

“Oh. No, it’s fine. I’m a touchy-feely type of person myself. Helps me visualize the world. So it’s fine.” As if she was going to get upset over that. Not a chance. “Actually, I’d like to touch both of your faces. Just out of curiosity for how you look.”

 **“US FIRST!** ” Well, at least Venom’s demands were predictable. Liz grinned and held up her hands, cupped upwards. He realized what she wanted right away and lowered his head into her waiting touch.

Liz used the delicate pads of her fingers to explore the strange texture of Venom’s face. Her fingers paused as she encountered the first teeth. “My, what big teeth you have.”

 **“AND SHARP.”** He sounded ever so pleased with himself.

Eddie chuckled and started picking up the trash from the table. “V, she was referencing the big bad wolf. With you as the wolf.”

 **“MMM, WE COULD EAT YOU UP.”** That long tongue curled around her wrist and part way down her arm, slowly tightening.

Liz snorted softly and tapped the offending tongue with her free hand. “Enough of that, Ven. My arm is sore enough without you squeezing.” She was pretty sure her voice came out evenly, despite her heart racing a mile a minute.

Venom, to prove he couldn’t be ordered around perhaps, gave her arm around squeeze before loosening his hold. His saliva left a cooling trail everywhere he’d touched. Liz moved her fingers more quickly as she investigated his features. “No nose? And are these your… eyes? Did I hurt you?” She drew her hands back, head tilted slightly.

 **“WE DO NOT NEED A NOSE, WE CAN TASTE SCENTS BETTER THAN YOU HUMANS. OUR EYES ARE NOT AS FRAGILE AS YOURS.”** He seemed to pause, almost stumble over the last word as he realized what he was saying. Venom’s head moved forward to gently tap against her nose and forehead.

She smiled and reached up to pat his face, accepting the apology. He hadn’t meant anything with what he’d said. He’d simply stated a truth. “Eddie?”

“Hmm?” She heard him turn to face them again.

“I’d really rather not stand up again unless it’s to stagger to sleep. Wanna come over here so I can feel you?” Liz smirked and raised her hands again in offering.

Eddie walked back over and paused before kneeling on the ground next to where Liz was sitting. He reached up and gently grabbed one of her wrists, pulling her hand to touch his cheek. She mirrored the placement of her other hand.

“Nice stubble. Strong cheek bones… oh good, at least you have nose.” Liz grinned and playfully tweaked his nose. And very nice lips, full and… She quickly pulled her hands away from him. “And here I was worried you’d look like Ven.”

“Insinuating you like how I look?” Eddie asked with playful teasing as he stood back up.

Liz laughed and leaned back in her chair again. “I’m not saying I don’t like it… but it’s really not that important to me. How you look, I mean.”

“Well, no offense, but you look exhausted. I don’t want to keep you up if you actually feel like sleeping.” Eddie said gently. “I cleaned up our mess, so don’t worry about it. And V made sure you didn’t have to worry about leftovers.”

“Thanks, V.” Liz chuckled. “And thank you, Eddie. This was very nice. We should do it again.”

 **“WE WANT TO TAKE YOU OUT SWINGING IN THE CITY AGAIN. YOU LIKED IT LAST TIME.”** Venom’s voice was filled with warm smugness.

Liz grinned broadly. “Hell yeah, that was so much fun. A wild ride. But I’d like to have dinner like this again, too. Maybe next time you can ask to see my tattoos, Eddie.” She tried to make it sound like an offhand comment, but her lips kept twitching into a smile.

Eddie made a faint choking noise before coughing slightly. Considering he’d seen most of her bare legs and arms when she’d come up the stairs in her work out clothes, he was probably trying to imagine where the tattoos could be hidden.

“Yes! I, uh, where are they?”

Nice to know she’d guessed right about that. Liz fought back laughter and wagged a finger in his direction. “You’re out of questions tonight, Mr. Reporter. You’ll have to ask next time.”

**“EDDIE HAS TATTOOS TOO.”**

“Oh, you’ll have to describe them. Maybe we do show and tell. I’ll show and you’ll tell.” Liz teased playfully.

“Yeah. So I’ll, uh, bring dinner over again? Soon?”

Liz set her elbows on the table and cradled her face in her hands. “Yes, sounds like a plan.”

**“AND WE WILL COME TO PICK YOU UP FOR OUR RIDE.”**

“The window is always unlocked if you want to drop by at night, guys.”

 **“GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE BIRD.”** Venom’s tongue gently traced up her arm, since he couldn’t lick her cheek with her hands in the way.

Liz gave a little shiver and smiled. “Night, Ven. Be safe, Eddie.”

“Of course.” His voice was farther away now.

The front door opened and then clicked shut again before Liz sighed tiredly. She’d really been hoping for a goodbye kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...because we all know nothing could go wrong when a writer has things going so well, right? Obviously everything is going to go perfectly from here on out.
> 
> Right.


	7. Miscommunication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha! I finished another chapter! And I'm quite happy with it overall.  
> Your responses and comments have been so wonderful! Thank you everyone!!
> 
> Also, remember that consent and communication is important.

Despite Eddie’s protests, Venom had taken Liz out for a swing around the city the next night. It wasn’t that Eddie had a problem with Venom and Liz spending time together… it was just the heights. Liz had been laughing so hard she struggled to breathe. She seemed to have no fear of the wild experience, trusting Venom completely. Venom had taken her to the top of a building toward the end. He sat at the edge of the roof and held Liz on his lap, arms holding her close to his chest. Venom rested his head on top of hers, staring out at the lights of the city.

**“WE WISH YOU COULD SHARE THIS SIGHT, LITTLE BIRD. IT IS SPECIAL TO US.”**

Liz stroked her hands up along his arms holding her. “Other people get to share this sight, but I’m the one who is being cuddled by San Fran’s Demon.” While her words had been teasing, her tone had been tender.

Convincing Venom not to spend the night with Liz had been… a struggle.

The symbiote was attracted to the young woman and saw no reason not to claim a human he saw as his own. Eddie had to remind him that human courtship was more complicated. He didn’t want to screw this up. And yes, maybe Eddie was a touch jealous still. But at least he and V could talk about it now.

Eddie’s second hangout, **_DATE_** , hangout with Liz had also been a huge success. He’d brought over food for them to share. This time she hadn’t been half dead from going to a gym and they’d stayed longer to chat. Eddie had been curious about her work. Turned out Liz worked as a part time writer and worked with counseling troubled youth. She used Dragon NaturallySpeaking to control her computer and convert speech to text. Most of Liz’s work with troubled youth was via phone calls, though she also did in office meetings for some cases.

And yes, Eddie did get to see her tattoos.

The first was a quote that spiraled down her left side: “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision”. Liz explained that Helen Keller was an inspiration for her and a reminder that others have it more difficult than she did. Eddie and Venom had been fascinated by the shivers and goosebumps that rose when Eddie trailed a finger along the quote. Still, Eddie had been firm with Venom about being a gentleman. He wasn’t going to take advantage of Liz.

The other was a small flower high on her left shoulder. Liz had gotten that one after her mother’s death. It had been her favorite flower. She had explained that while she couldn’t see the tattoos, they still memorialized important things in her life.

Venom had spent the whole time either whining about not being allowed to come out and talk with Liz or berating Eddie for not making a move.

**_THIS IS WHY WE DIDN’T WIN ANNE BACK._ **

_Shut up, V._

“We should take you out next time. You can pick a restaurant.” Eddie had offered as he got ready to leave.

Liz gave him an exasperated smile. “Yeah. That sounds nice, Eddie.”

**_KISS HER._ **

“Good night.”

**_PUSSY._ **

~

 **“YOU ARE AN IDIOT, EDDIE. SHE WANTED YOU. SHE WANTS US.”** Venom leapt from the roof and landed on the side of the apartment building with his claws dug into the brickwork.

_I value the relationship I’m building with Liz. She’s a person, not a thing. And you’d better behave yourself._

Venom snorted and opened the window, squeezing through to enter Liz’s apartment. He wanted to take her on another swing through the city at night. **“WE ARE TIRED OF B-“** He suddenly broke off, tongue lashing in the air. A low snarl bubbled up from his chest.

_What is it?!_

**“AN INTRUDER.”**

_Shit._

**“A MALE INTRUDER.”**

_Oh. SHIT._

Nothing looked disturbed, in fact the apartment was quiet. Venom’s head snapped to the side when they heard a soft thump. The bedroom door opened to reveal Liz, dressed in an oversized t-shirt.

“Ven? That you?”

He snarled again and moved toward Liz, following the offending scent. **“WHO?”**

“What? Ven?” Liz looked puzzled, twitching her head from side to side as she followed his motion.

Venom pushed past her, eyes narrowed as he prowled into her bedroom. Here too. The scent of the intruder male was here too. Rage boiled in his blood as he slowly turned toward Liz. Faintly, he could hear Eddie demanding answers as well.

“What the hell is going on, Venom?!” Gone was the confusion, replaced by indignation and growing anger on her face. As though she did not know why he would be angry with her.

**“WHO IS HE?”**

“What are you-“

Venom leapt forward and slammed Liz back against the hallway wall. Her breath left in a huff as her back impacted the wall. His hand was pressed into her collarbone, pressing in on her as his claws began to prick through the thin material of the shit.

 **“WHO IS HE?!”** Venom roared into her face, spittle flying. She went very still, hurt and confused more than scared. **“WHO IS THE MAN YOU LET INTO YOUR DEN?!”**

“The man I-“ Her words came out in a gasp, it must have been difficult to breathe with him pressing into her chest. “The nurse?!” Liz squeaked, indignant.

 **“NURSE?”** Venom eased up the pressure of his hand, caught off guard by her strange response.

_Christ, Venom! Stop! You’re hurting her!!_

Liz shoved against Venom’s chest angrily, an effort he found amusing rather than insulting. “Yes, the nurse! I told you and Eddie I was getting a new visiting nurse! What the fuck is your problem?!”

Not an intruder. Not a rival for his little bird. Venom didn’t like the thought of another male invading the den, but it was a professional. Not a threat. His anger cooled, warming to a possessiveness.

**_OURS._ **

_Shit, V, n-_

Venom grabbed at Liz’s jaw, tilting her face up toward his own. Her mouth parted in surprise before his tongue slid in. Finally, he was getting a good taste of his little bird. Venom explored her mouth, curling his tongue around hers. He only pulled away when she wriggled uncomfortably and pushed against his chest again.

He rumbled, stroking his thumb along her bottom lip as she gasped for breath.

_Venom! What the literal fuck, dude?! You attack her and then force yourself on her?!_

**“EDDIE SAYS WE PUSHED TOO FAR.”**

“Tell Eddie to shut up.” Liz’s voice, a little hoarse, was like music to Venom. She reached up for his face, trying to pull him back down.

**_TOLD YOU SO._ **

_Well damn._

Venom was happy to oblige Liz, lowering his head and sliding his tongue back into her mouth. She eagerly sucked on it, giving a pleasing moan. Her arms curled around his neck while she stood on tip toes.

A low, contented rumble left Venom. He grabbed at the back of Liz’s thighs, lifting her up and against himself. Venom tightened his hold on her until he would almost have hurt her.

His little bird suddenly pulled her head back, panting. “Hold on.” She gasped out, moving her hands to his shoulders.

 **“WE ARE HOLDING ON.”** Venom whispered, stroking his tongue up her neck to her ear.

Liz squirmed suddenly and gasped. “Stop. I meant stop! Ven, we need to talk.”

Venom huffed out an annoyed breath. **“WHY MAKE THIS COMPLICATED? WE DON’T NEED TO TALK.”**

“Yes. We do.” She slapped his shoulder for emphasis. “All three of us. Like adults. It’s not just you and me, Venom. And we have to talk about safety.”

**“YOU HUMANS FIND WAYS TO RUIN EVERYTHING. WE BOTH WANT YOU. AND WE WILL KEEP YOU SAFE.”**

Liz gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “No, idiot. Safe sex. And I’d rather have the discussion with you and Eddie now rather than figure things out afterwards. I value you both of you too much to mess this up.”

Venom made a frustrated sound and carried Liz into the living room. He gently set her down onto the couch. **“WE HURT YOU…”** He lightly touched a spot of blood on the front of her shirt from his claws.

“I forgive you. It’s barely a scratch. Eddie. Now.”

Venom flowed back, releasing Eddie and remaining in his ‘floating noodle head’ form, as Eddie liked to call it.

“So, Liz, how’s your evening going?” Eddie asked with a weak chuckle.

Liz snorted and smiled, patting the couch next to her. “It’ll be better if we can finish this talk quickly and get back to business.”

Eddie cautiously sat down, watching her closely. “Look, if you want V, I won’t get in the way. I want you both to be happy. You don’t have to-“

“Oh, shut up, Eddie. Don’t be a self-sacrificing prick. Unless I miss my mark, you want me too. And I’m fine with that. I care about you and Ven. Whatever we have… it doesn’t need a name. Why can’t we just be together and be happy?” Liz asked quickly, reaching out to touch his leg.

“Well, when you make it sound that easy…”

 **“WE TOLD YOU, YOU MAKE THINGS TOO COMPLICATED.”** Venom complained.

Liz laughed softly, turning her head slightly toward Venom’s voice. “I won’t lie, my concern was that… it would be awkward for you guys.”

**“WE LOVE EDDIE. WE LOVE OUR LITTLE BIRD. SIMPLE.”**

Liz paused and leaned back suddenly. “Oh. Oh, are you and Eddie…”

“Yeah, so, we share everything. V has been with me through a lot. I’ve no idea what to call our relationship, but it works for us.” Eddie felt warmth spread through his chest. Love and acceptance from his symbiote along with pride for his honesty.

“That’s hot.”

Eddie burst out into laughter at her simple, flat response. “Yeah, it is. And about safety, don’t worry. V can make sure it’s safe for us. All three of us.”

“My, my. How very useful.” Liz grinned, shifting to lean closer to Eddie. “I think that concludes the necessity of talking?”

Eddie felt Venom surge around him. They saw Liz shiver in surprise as they changed under her hands. Venom stroked one hand down her back to gently cup her ass, just barely covered by the hem of the shirt.

**“GOOD. THEN WE HAVE FIRST DIBS.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to write smut in the next chapter. 
> 
> Fuck.


	8. Interruptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, another challenging write. You did get a little smut in it, so enjoy.

A panicked thrill went through Liz as Venom pulled her close. She felt the claws lightly drag against her skin as he grabbed her thighs. His large hands were hot against her skin. He shifted position, standing and lifting her from the couch. Liz obligingly wrapped her arms around his neck and began placing kisses up his throat. She could feel his pleased rumble as he walked back toward her bedroom again.

 Venom was gentle as he placed her down across her bed. She stretched out, feeling nerves and excitement bubbling under her skin. His hands slid up her sides, the t-shirt bunching up. Liz shivered, little goosebumps rising from the cool air compared to his heat.

A chuckle escaped her as she arched her back, helping him slide the shirt up her body and finally over her head. It sounded like he tossed it aside, his hands returning to gently cup her small form, thumbs brushing along the underside of her breasts.

**“OUR LITTLE BIRD. SO BEAUTIFUL.”**

Liz felt heat rush to her face and reached up to swat in his direction.

“As if that matters, Ven.”

She heard his chuckle as Venom lowered his head. That warm tongue suddenly licked along her chest. Liz jumped in surprise at the sensation, hot and slick, and lifted her hands to cradle his face again.

 **“YOU STILL BLEED. TASTES SO SWEET.”** His voice was a low rumble as his tongue glided across the small cuts on her chest.

Liz squirmed slightly with a faint hiss of pain. “That stings. They’re just little scratches.”

His hands cupped her breasts, gently kneading. If his aim was to distract, it was very effective. **“WE DID NOT MEAN TO HURT YOU.”**

“Enough! Ven, you were upset. I’m not happy about how we handled it, but you’re kinda spoiling the mood.” She snapped.

Venom gave a playful growl as he lowered his hands to her hips and dragged her toward the edge of the bed. He had knelt and pulled her legs over his shoulders. Liz felt her muscles clench as his breath played along her inner thigh. **“BETTER?”**

“Y-yes.” She didn’t even care that there was a catch in her voice. Liz leaned her head back on the bed, fingers clutching at the sheets.

Venom gave a smug rumble and tilted his head to gently scrape his sharp teeth across her skin. The sensation, quickly followed by his tongue skimming across the spot, made her whine. Liz squirmed slightly, lifting her hips. Her ankles, still against his back, were suddenly encased in heat and held immobile against him. One of his hands settled on her waist to pin her.

He licked his way up her thigh, pausing for a moment before using one long stroke to taste her. Liz’s hands spasmed, gripping the sheets tighter. She felt him push her down despite her attempt to writhe. The tip of Venom’s tongue explored between her folds while the upper length stroked against her clit.

“Fuck! Ven, please!” Liz gasped out, heat and tension pooling low. Just how long was that tongue?!

Venom chuckled and tightened his hold on her hips. His tongue pushed into her, curling as it slid deeper. Liz bit down on her lower lip, struggling to stifle her moans as he kept pushing that tongue in deeper. He switched to using his thumb to stroke her clit.

The hot coil in her abdomen tightened further. Venom’s tongue slid against just the right spot inside Liz. All that warmth suddenly snapped as she came undone. She cried out as her hips tried to buck against his hand and her legs tightened around his head.

Low, pleased noises came from Venom as he drew his tongue out and began lapping at her folds. He held her hips down until she stilled, slowly going limp.

“Holy hell…” Liz gasped out softly, panting.

Venom lifted his head after one last, lingering lick. The tendrils that had been pinning her legs to his back released her and he gently shifted her body further onto the bed again. It creaked as he moved his weight onto it beside her.

 **“OUR LITTLE BIRD.”** His voice was a croon as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her back up against the heat of his body.

“Thank you, Ven. I don’t-“ Liz was cut off by the sound of her cellphone ringing. She knew it was sitting on the nightstand by her bed, charging for the next day.

Venom tightened his hold around her when she started to pull away. **“NOT DONE.”**

Liz smacked at his arm impatiently. “No one calls me in the middle of the night unless it’s an emergency. Let me go.”

She couldn’t quite catch whatever he grumbled under his breath, nor did she really care. Liz crawled to the side of the bed and grabbed at her phone. She managed to answer just before the last ring.

“Hello?!”

“Liz? Are you alright, you sound out of breath?” That was a voice she knew well. It was Calvin, her boss.

“Uh, yeah, Cal. I had to hurry to get to the phone. What’s wrong?” No way she was explaining why she was breathless right now. Venom was not helping, stroking his hands up her sides while she tried to concentrate.

“I’m sorry to call so late. It’s Aaron, he’s been arrested. A bunch of his old street pals got together and robbed a gas station, then lit it on fire. It exploded. Damn lucky no one is dead.”

Liz felt her heart sink, she swatted Venom’s hands angrily. “I’ll be down as soon as I can. He’d been doing so well.” She murmured.

“Need me to pick you up?”

“No, I have a ride. I’ll see you there.”

“Bye.”

She closed the little flip phone and twisted around to glare in Venom’s direction. “I need Eddie’s help. I need a ride.”

 **“WE CAN TAKE YOU WHERE EVER YOU NEED TO GO.”** She didn’t like the defensive tone in his voice.

Liz sat up, swinging her legs off the side of the bed. They still felt a little jello-y. “No. I don’t want to explain why the Demon of San Francisco is dropping me off at the police station. Please, Ven, don’t make this any more difficult. It sucks, I know. Just get back to your place and have Eddie drive over.”

Venom sighed and leaned over to lick her cheek. **“ALRIGHT, LITTLE BIRD. BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU.”**

“Thanks.” She tilted her head to the side and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll get cleaned up and meet you two downstairs. Hurry up.”

Liz listened to Venom pad quietly out of her bedroom. There was a soft creak as he left out the window, which he had never even closed at the start of all this. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. A quick shower would probably help her look less disheveled.

She walked to her small closet and carefully felt for the small tags on the hangers. A black pair of slacks and dark purple blouse. That would be professional enough for dealing with the police. It was hard enough to get people to take her seriously as a woman. A ‘disabled’ woman? Well, she needed any leverage she could get.

Twenty minutes later she was in the elevator heading to the ground floor. A small side strap purse held her wallet and phone. Her long cane was held in her right hand. She moved with practiced ease to the front of the apartment complex, tasting the cool night air. Liz wasn’t sure, but she thought it was somewhere around three or four in the morning. The city was quieter now. Only the occasional sound of traffic or dogs nearby. There were sirens off in the distance, but they were heading away from her.

A rumble drew closer, changing into a mechanical roar. Liz stepped further back from the curb. The roar quieted back to a rumble as it drew up with her and came to a stop.

“Your ride.” That was Eddie’s voice.

“A motorcycle. You expect me to ride a motorcycle to the police station.”

“Well, it’s that or we take a cab. What do you think your chances are for that?” Eddie sounded amused, which did not improve her mood toward his motorcycle. “I brought a spare helmet.” He added cheerfully.

“If I die, I’m going to kill you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaron, why do you have to get into trouble at inconvenient times??


	9. The Station

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was going to have Liz's conversation with Aaron in this chapter as well. But I like cliffhangers apparently. Twice now. Sorry. Besides, the pacing on Chapter 10 will work better with the conversation and aftermath all together.

Riding the motorcycle with Eddie wasn’t quite as difficult or terrifying as she’d expected. He’d helped her secure the helmet and get on behind himself. Once she had her arms wrapped around his waist, under his coat, and her body pressed as much up against him as possible, it wasn’t too difficult to feel him as he tensed into turns or shifted his weight. Eddie started slow to give her a chance to get used riding with him. The final reassurance was the feeling of Venom’s tendrils curling around her arms. If he was helping to hold on, then she knew she would be safe.

By the time they’d pulled up the police station Eddie had probably been speeding. Liz didn’t care, it was fun to feel the wind tugging her body and the sudden changes in acceleration. Not quite as fun as swinging with Ven, but certainly a good way to get around town.

“Hun, you have to let go of me to get up.” Eddie’s voice sounded very amused as he gently patted her arm.

She gave him another squeeze before letting go, feeling Venom’s tendrils pull away. “If I didn’t have business tonight…”

“Don’t tease!” He burst out into laughter.

Liz grumbled to herself as she swung herself off the bike. Her legs were a little shaky. Eddie handed her the long cane, probably knowing she felt better with it in her hands when she was outside. She tilted her head, listening carefully to everything around them. It was the middle of the night, or early morning, but the station still sounded fairly busy.

“Liz!” That was Cal’s voice, coming closer. She recognized his footsteps a moment later. “Who’s your, uh, ride?” The tone had changed from welcoming to a touch defensive.

“Cal, I came as soon as I could. This is Eddie. He’s…” Liz trailed off a bit, not quite sure how to label Eddie. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make this confusing for Cal.

“Boyfriend.” Eddie’s arm slid around her waist, his warm palm resting against her hip casually. “I’m her boyfriend.”

There was a long moment of silent assessment. She didn’t have to see to imagine the two men probably sizing each other up.

“Eddie Brock, huh? I do hope you weren’t looking for files at Liz’s home. She doesn’t take work home with her.” Cal’s voice was sharp, angry and trying to provoke Eddie.

Liz shifted her weight, leaning into Eddie’s side. She could feel his muscles shift as he shrugged calmly.

“Honestly didn’t even know what she did for a leaving until a week after we’d met.”

“Sure.” Cal snorted softly. “The police aren’t going to like having you in the station. Maybe you should wait outside, Eddie. Liz?”

She gently pulled away from Eddie, reaching out to grab his hand as it came away from her waist. Liz squeezed his hand for a moment. “ _Eddie_. Stay out of _trouble._ ” Her words were carefully emphasized. Eddie seemed level headed most of the time. In fact, sometimes he thought too much about things. Venom on the other hand… Liz was glad the symbiote was attached to Eddie. They balanced each other. But it never hurt to remind them, either.

“Of course.” He bent slightly and she felt him lightly kiss her cheek. “Just holler if you need me.” Eddie murmured softly.

Liz smiled and turned to brush her lips against his before stepping back. “I know how to take care of myself.”

“Remind me again, how did we first meet?”

She flipped the bird in his direction, listening to his amused chuckle. Liz knew she was grinning like a stupid teenager and she did not care. Eddie and Venom made her feel giddy. If she’d been at home she would have skipped. Instead she tapped a happy little rhythm with her long cane as she followed Cal into the police station.

~

The inside of the station was a relief in terms of noise. A cruiser had just left, sirens blazing. It was painfully loud to Liz this close. Inside there was the quiet murmur of voices. Something was printing nearby. The scent of coffee, unsurprisingly, drifted through the lobby.

“Hey Melanie, can you buzz us back?” Cal’s voice sounded calmer now. Liz made a mental note to have a chat with him later about his reaction to Eddie.

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead.” The woman’s voice, now on their left, sounded bored and tired. There was a faint buzzing sound and a mechanical click.

Cal held the door open for Liz. “Down the hall a bit and there is an open doorway on the right.”

“I remember, Cal. Don’t worry.” She murmured, lightly tapping her long cane as she walked. Liz could hear the sound rumble of male voices up ahead, growing louder. Several detectives and officers were probably working at their desks.

“Ms. Elizabeth. Why am I not surprised to see you here?” The gruff voice was resigned and faintly amused. The man walked toward her, his steps heavy.

Liz felt a smile tugging at her lips as she replied. “Officer Rodgers. A pleasure to see you again.”

“Ha ha, very funny. You know you can call me Allen.”

“And you can call me Liz. I thought you were being formal. How’s the kids?”

Officer Allen Rodgers chuckled. “They’re growing faster than I can keep up with.” Now he sounded proud. Liz knew Allen’s two children. She’d recorded a voice over of a book as a Christmas gift to them last year.

“Can you take me back to see Aaron, please?” Liz hated to break the happy moment, but she was worried for the teenager.

“I was one of the officers on call for that tonight. It’s a mess and we didn’t even manage to round up all the people involved. The only reason the brass agreed to let you speak to the kid is because he demanded it in exchange for helping us.” His tone had changed, flipping over to serious cop mode. It was still his voice, but it also wasn’t.

Liz sighed and nodded. “At least he’s smart enough to work with you. I’m sorry, Allen.”

“I’m sorry too. Come on.”

~

Allen didn’t try to hold her hand or treat her like she couldn’t follow him. He’d made that mistake when they first met. Liz had used it as an excuse to smack his leg repeatedly with her long cane. On accident of course. Plenty of the other officers had not learned their lesson yet.

“Rodgers, who’s that?” A new voice, male and a little nasally.

“This is Ms. Elizabeth Veritas. She’s the youth counselor that was requested.” Allen stepped to the side a bit more, likely to give a clear view of Liz.

The other office gave a faint snort of derision. “Sure, but she can’t go in the holding cell by herself.”

“Why not?” Liz asked sweetly.

“Because you would be in danger. You can’t defend yourself if the suspect becomes violent.”

“And he certainly isn’t going to talk to me if an officer is hovering over my shoulder. Sir, with all respect, I know Aaron very well. I’ve been his counselor and therapist for two years now. He requested me because he wants to help you. If something happens, I can call out for help. And I’m not helpless.” Liz tried for a mixture of firm, but respectful.

“Jacob, I’ll be just down the hall. The kid doesn’t have a history of violence.” Allen’s voice was a patient rumble. The man was older and steadier as a cop.

Jacob sighed and there was another buzzing noise followed by a mechanical click. “I am not taking shit if this goes downhill. She’s blind, she won’t see anything coming.” He grumbled.

Liz stepped forward, following behind Allen again. She tapped her long cane ahead of her, despite being able to hear where the walls were. As she passed the nasally cop she flicked her long cane to the side. It smacked his ankle with a pleasing crack.

“Ow! Fuck, you little b-!”

“Sorry. Didn’t see you there.” Liz smiled brightly in his direction, hurrying through the doorway.

Allen sounded like he was struggling not to laugh. “Calm down, Jacob.” He spoke over the other man’s splutters. “What are you going to say? The little, blind girl assaulted you? It was an accident.”

Liz heard the Jacob muttering under his breath as the bullet proof door swung shut. “Ungrateful bitch.”

They started down the quiet hallway. Most of the holding cells were probably empty, or their occupants sleeping.

“That was mean.”

“He’s an ass.”

“Aw, Liz, Jacob is new.”

“Then I’ll beat him into shape for you.” Liz said cheekily. She didn’t want to have to talk to Aaron. To hear how he’d tried to ruin his life. Why had he chosen to destroy everything he’d been building for himself?

“Just don’t break anything.” Allen said with a chuckle.

“No promises.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eddie is so fucking cute. Don't agree? Fight me.


	10. I'm sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that, another update! And we've reached ten chapters! Woo hoo! 
> 
> I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story. I'll keep them coming!
> 
> <3

Allen stopped a few feet further down the hall. “Hey, kid. Your counselor is here.”

“Elizabeth?” Aaron’s voice sounded higher pitched with hope and near panic. There was a shuffling noise as he came forward to the front of the cell.

“Hi, Aaron.” A faint smile touched Liz’s face, her chest felt heavy.

Allen sighed. “Kid, back up so I can open this up. You treat Ms. Elizabeth with courtesy. If I have to come back over to deal with you it’s not going to end well.”

“I don’t hurt people! And I’d never hurt Elizabeth!” Aaron’s voice deepened with hot anger.

Liz gently reached out to touch Allen’s back. “I’ll be fine, Officer Rodgers.” She murmured gently.

A warm hand encased her upper arm, squeezing softly. “I’m serious, Liz.” His voice was barely a whisper. “If he tries anything, just shout. I mean it, I don’t want to explain why you got hurt here. If you feel the slightest danger call for me.”

She gently patted his hand on her arm. “I promise.”

Allen sighed and let go of her arm, stepping up to the cell. There was a jangling noise before metal scraped. “Alright, ten minutes.”

“Thank you, Officer Rodgers.” Liz stepped past him after tapping her long cane to make sure she knew where the doorway was. She heard the door slide shut behind her and relock.

The cell was silent for several long moments while Allen’s footsteps slowly faded away. Liz waited patiently. Aaron had asked for her. He would speak when he was ready. It wouldn’t help to bombard him with questions. Besides, in her experience, he had a harder time dealing with long silences.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” His voice was soft, almost lost.

Liz’s heart ached for the teen. He’d been one of her first patients and they’d been through a lot. Aaron’s father had left shortly after his birth. His mother had been a druggie. He had bounced around in the foster system for years before running away. As a kid on the streets he’d gotten himself into trouble with a small gang. Part of his punishment when caught had been therapy. In the two years since then, Liz had helped him move back in with his new foster family. Aaron had been going to school and making progress toward a brighter future.

“I’m sure you didn’t plan on this.” Liz murmured gently. “But this is where we are. You aren’t going to be able to walk away from this clean, Aaron. You and your friends blew up that gas station.”

“No!” Aaron’s voice was sharp with anger and panic. “I didn’t do that! That was an accident, Elizabeth, please! I wouldn’t hurt anyone!”

She smiled faintly and lifted her right hand. “I know. I believe you. Lower your voice or Officer Rodgers is going to come stomping back here.”

“No one was supposed to get hurt. The fire was an accident. A… a friend of mine was in trouble. He needed the money. I just wanted to help him and make sure he stayed safe.”

Liz sighed. “The gang.”

“I know, you said to stay away from them. I do! But he’s just a kid and I’ve been trying to help him get away from that situation. He had to pay them back and then he wanted to come clean. I swear, Elizabeth, I wasn’t trying to get caught up in all that. You have to believe me.” Aaron’s voice turned pleading at the end, begging her to understand. He just wanted to feel like his decision was valid.

“While I agree that your intentions were good-“

“Road to hell, paved, yeah, yeah.” Aaron muttered. “I know. It’s not just intentions, it’s the actions we take.”

“Then why didn’t you take him to child protective services? Or bring him to me? We could have found a safer way to help your friend.” Liz said gently.

Aaron groaned and she could hear him start pacing on the other side of the cell. “He wanted to pay them back! He felt he owed them. I couldn’t take him out of it. We were just going to help him get the money from the gas station, turn it over, and then be done.”

“You can’t change the past.” Liz murmured. “I don’t think discussing your reasoning is going to help right now. We have more important things to discuss. Your future. Aaron, please tell me you are going to cooperate with the police.”

There was a long moment of silence. “I had to say something so they’d let you come.”

“Aaron! Who ever ran away from the scene needs to be caught. They broke the law and it’s your only chance to help yourself. You need to talk with an attorney and try to work out a deal. I can’t do that for you.”

“I don’t want to turn on them.” Aaron said softly.

Liz sighed and rubbed her head. “I can’t do anything to help you with this. I am always available to talk with you, but you need to speak to an attorney. Please listen to them. You’re smart, Aaron. Don’t throw everything you’ve worked for away.”

She could hear footsteps coming back down the hallway toward them.

“I already spoke to an attorney they called, since I’m a minor.”

“Talk to them again. Don’t say anything to the police without your attorney present. That’s the best advice I can give you now.”

“Thanks.” Aaron’s voice sounded rough, hurt and unhappy.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could do more, Aaron.” Liz whispered.

The door jangled and it slid open with a soft whump. “Ms. Elizabeth, time to go.”

~

**_HOW LONG WILL SHE BE GONE?_ **

“No idea.” Eddie murmured softly, watching the activity around the station. The night air was cool, but between the leather jacket and the symbiote tendrils he felt quite comfortable. He’d gotten bored with standing around and ended up sitting sideways on his bike while waiting.

**_WE DO NOT LIKE THE LOUD CARS._ **

Eddie smiled faintly. “Price to pay as Liz’s ride.” He straightened when he saw the station doors open. Neither he nor Venom liked how close Calvin was walking beside Liz. Venom had asked if they could eat him. Eddie had told him no. For now.

**_SHE IS HURT!_ **

The rage coming off Venom felt like a gut punch. Liz did look bad. But not physically hurt, she looked emotionally drained and exhausted. _Calm down, V. She’s gonna be fine._

“Hey.” Eddie stood up from his bike and stepped forward, putting an arm around Liz’s shoulders. “You okay?” He asked quietly.

“Tired. I’d like to go home.” She leaned against him for support.

Eddie gently squeezed her shoulder and locked eyes with Calvin.

“I think a cab might be safer than that motorcycle. Liz is tired, I’d hate for her to get hurt. I would be happy to call the cab.” Calvin said, not breaking the staring contest.

He had opened his mouth to snark back a reply, but Eddie felt Liz wrap an arm back around his waist and shake her head. “No, Cal. I’ll be okay. Eddie can drive me home. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

Calvin visibly deflated. “If you’re sure… Okay. I’ll keep you up to date with what happens.” He frowned for a few moments longer at Eddie before turning away.

“You look like you took a beating, hun.” Eddie murmured, placing a gently kiss on her forehead.

“Feels like it. Please, Eddie, I really do want to go home.”

Eddie nodded and twisted around to grab the spare helmet and help Liz put it on. “That’s fair. Don’t worry, V will make sure you stay safe.”

That, at least, pulled a small smile from her. “I never doubted that.”

~

Eddie left his motorcycle parked downstairs and insisted upon seeing Liz back up to her apartment. He told her that he didn’t want to find out she’d passed out in a stairway from exhaustion or something. It helped that Venom wouldn’t untangle his tendrils from her. Liz’s protests had been half hearted anyways.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Eddie asked after the door closed.

Liz was trying to peel Venom’s tendrils away from her body. “No. I just… I want to curl up on the couch and not think about it.” She turned her face away from him, but he heard the catch in her voice.

“Liz…” He pulled her close, holding her against himself as her shoulders started shaking with quiet sobs.

**“HURT.”** Venom had manifested his head and used a tendril to gently wipe at the tears on Liz’s cheeks.

Liz shook her head slightly. “It’s not… not that kind of hurt, Ven. I can’t…”

Eddie suddenly scooped Liz up, causing her to yelp in surprise. “We’re not leaving you like this, Liz. If you want to curl up on the couch that’s fine. We’ll do that with you. But we’re not leaving.” He ignored her weak protest and carried her over to the couch. It was a bit difficult to get them all sorted, but she certainly could have pulled away at that point if she’d wanted.

In the end, Eddie was laying with his shoulders against the arm rest. Liz was curled up with her head on his chest. Venom had wrapped tendrils of himself around both of them and was buzzing slightly, soothingly. Eddie just continued to gently stroke his hand up and down Liz’s back, letting her cry herself out.

“I can read, if you want.” He murmured softly as her sobs began to die away.

Liz just silently nodded against his chest, curling her fingers in his jacket.

Eddie smiled faintly. _V, help me?_ One of Venom’s tendrils wriggled his cellphone free and offered it to him. Eddie browsed online for a moment before finding an old fairytale to start reading.

~

**“EDDIE. SHE’S ASLEEP, EDDIE.”** A tendril waved in front of his phone distractingly.

Eddie blinked and glanced down at Liz. Venom was right, she was asleep. It hadn’t taken more than fifteen minutes, not that he was surprised. It had been a long night.

“Let’s get her to bed. It’ll be more comfortable.” Eddie whispered.

Venom was happy to help lift Liz and make sure she didn’t wake up while Eddie slid them off the couch. They cradled her smaller form together, taking her back to the bedroom. Venom continued to be helpful with getting the blankets pulled back so Eddie could tuck her in after taking her shoes off.

**“THAT’S NOT WHAT SHE WEARS TO SLEEP.”**

“V, I am not undressing her. I’ll offer to have her dress clothes dry cleaned.” Eddie rolled his eyes as Venom huffed. He turned to leave.

**“WE SHOULD STAY.”** Venom stretched his head back to look at Liz’s sleeping form.

Eddie sighed and rubbed his temples. “No. We are not going to sleep in her bed. She’ll probably freak out in the morning.”

Venom snorted. **“SHE LIKES US. OUR LITTLE BIRD IS HURT, EDDIE. WE WANT TO STAY. WE DON’T WANT HER SCARED AND HURT IN THE MORNING. WE CAN HELP.”**

It was the faint pleading tone at the end that had Eddie stop and consider his words. Liz was obviously upset and used to handling it by herself. But she didn’t have to anymore. She had him and V. And Eddie had called himself her boyfriend tonight. Liz hadn’t disagreed.

“Alright. We’ll spend the night. But we’re staying on the couch, V.”

**“YOU’RE SUCH A COWARD.”**

“Stop whining, it’s called a compromise.” Eddie shambled back into the living room, kicking off his shoes. He groaned when he noticed the soft light coming from the main window. Well, it looked like they would be spending the morning instead of the night.

He flopped back onto the couch with a yawn. “Let’s just get some rest.”

Venom flowed, wrapping himself around most of Eddie’s body like a warm blanket. **“YOU ARE LUCKY WE LOVE YOU.”**

“Love ya too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I too would like to cuddle with the boys.


	11. Shoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what is better than one chapter a day?
> 
> Two chapters in a day!

Liz felt sleep fading away. She didn’t want to wake up. Her mouth had a funny taste in it and her eyes felt dry and scratchy. Liz burrowed herself deeper into the blankets, hoping to escape the memories of why she felt so awful. The feel of her dress blouse riding up her torso was uncomfortable. She sighed as the events from a few hours ago flooded back. With a quiet groan, Liz pushed herself into a sitting position and scrubbed at her face. The skin felt dry and scratchy from crying earlier.

Wait, she didn’t remember going to bed. Liz paused and frowned to herself, trying to remember. Ah, Eddie had been reading to her on the couch. Venom had been purring, which in retrospect had been adorable. They must have tucked her into bed before they left.

Liz managed to pull up a soft smile despite herself. She knew it was silly to feel so invested in Aaron’s life. It wasn’t her fault. She couldn’t blame herself for his decisions. But she still felt heavy guilt and sorrow like a stone in her chest.

There would be no more sleep. Liz dragged herself out of bed. She stripped off her dress clothes, carefully putting them on correctly tagged hangers and putting them up so she could send them in for cleaning. Hopefully they weren’t too messy. She opened the top right drawer of her dresser and felt the material with the pads of her fingers. Liz pulled out a pair of casual shorts made of soft, sweats material. Another of her oversized night shirts was slipped on afterwards. These were comfy clothes, meant to help her feel better.

Today would be a rest day. A day to recover her emotional balance. Her stomach made a plaintive growl suddenly, almost startling her. Ah, breakfast first. Then she could take a shower to feel like a real human again. Maybe catch up on that audiobook she’d been enjoying or go for a workout.

Liz was contemplating her options for her rest day as she walked into the living room. It came as a complete surprise when she stepped on something and stumbled, rolling her ankle and falling to the ground with a grunt.

“What the fuck?!”

 **“LITTLE BIRD?”** Venom’s voice was sleepy and coming from the couch.

Liz got to her knees, grabbing the damn shoe she’d tripped on and throwing it at the location of Venom’s voice. “I said what the _fuck_?! Why is there a _shoe_ on my _floor_?!”

There was a solid thump and a surprised grunt from Venom, apparently she’d hit her mark.

The couch gave a small squeak as Eddie moved, sitting up to look over at her as well probably. “Liz? What happened?”

She gritted her teeth and ran her hand in an arc as far from her body as she could until she found the other shoe. That one got thrown at Eddie’s head. “I’m _dying_ on your _shoe!_ ” She shouted at him.

There was no satisfying thump from Eddie. Damn, she’d missed or he’d caught it.

“Hun, it was an accident. We stayed over to make sure you were okay.” Eddie’s tone was conciliatory.

“You almost killed me!” Liz shouted at him, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. She was angry and her ankle hurt. This was not what she needed.

**“WE WANT TO HELP. WE ARE SORRY, LITTLE BIRD. DO NOT CRY.”**

Liz pointed an accusing finger in the direction of Venom’s voice. “Don’t you ‘little bird’ me! I’m not crying! I’m pissed!”

“Whoa, calm down. It was just a shoe.” Evidently Eddie had gotten up from the couch and come around to check on her.

This was a mistake.

As soon as Eddie was within range Liz slapped his leg. “It’s not just the shoe!”

“Ow, damn it, that stings. Are you hurt? Calm down!” He added the last part when she slapped his leg again, angry tears trying to escape.

Venom “stepped” in at this point, catching Liz’s wrist and coiling tendrils around it to hold it in place so she would stop attacking Eddie.

“It’s not the stupid shoe, Eddie.” Liz stopped trying to tug her arm free from Venom. “It’s my home!”

Eddie dropped down to his knees and gently cupped her face in his hands, wiping at the few tears that had slid down her cheeks. “Liz, hun, talk to me. I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”

“This… this is my home. It’s safe.” Her throat felt raw and voice hoarse. “It stays the same. I can walk through my home with confidence. I know where everything is. I can go in the kitchen and get whatever I need without worry.”

 **“YOU DID NOT GET ANGRY WHEN WE KNOCKED THINGS OVER BEFORE.”** Venom sounded more confused than anything else. He had curled his tendrils up her arm and across her shoulders, tightening them into a gentle hung.

Liz sighed, relaxing her face into Eddie’s cupped hands. “That was different, Ven. You were hurt. Yes, it upset me, but I was more worried about you. This… this was just stupid.” She grumbled at the end. At least the tears had stopped.

Eddie blew out a slow breath. “Okay. I think I understand. I’m sorry, Liz. I didn’t even think about it. Just wanted to take a nap.”

Her right arm was still pinned by Venom, but Liz lifted the left to gently touch Eddie’s face in return. “I want you to be here. I don’t want you to stop visiting. Just… I need you to be aware of my space. I’m sorry for freaking out. It’s just…”

“After last night, you’re feeling kinda raw. I get it, that makes it easy to lash out. I’m not mad.”

 **“YOU HIT US WITH EDDIE’S SHOE.”** Venom sounded pouty.

Liz let out a startled laugh and pulled her face away from Eddie’s hands. “I’m sorry. Bring your head over here and I’ll give you a kiss to make it feel better.”

Venom rumbled and complied, pressing the top of his head close to her face so she could place a soft kiss on him.

“Do you forgive me?”

**“WE ARE CONSIDERING IT. CHOCOLATE?”**

Liz chuckled. “Yes, I have chocolate. I was trying to get to the kitchen to have breakfast.”

**“FORGIVEN.”**

“And we messed up that plan. Can I help to make it up to you?” Eddie asked, gently grabbing her left arm while Venom continued to hold the right. They pulled together to get her back to her feet.

“Sure, but it was just going to be cereal with milk and a fruit cup.” Liz winced slightly as she put weight on her right ankle.

 **“YOU ARE HURT.”** Venom sounded worried again.

Liz shook her head, testing the ankle again. “I think I just rolled it. It’ll be a little sore, but I’m not really hurt.”

Eddie held onto Liz’s left arm and they both helped her to the kitchen table to sit down. “Alright, let us handle getting your breakfast. It’s the least we can do.”

“There should be an ice pack in the freezer. I can prop my ankle up and ice it. And I have ibuprofen in the bathroom medicine cabinet. Just put it back where you got it, okay?” Liz smiled faintly, lifting her eyebrows and tilting her head in Eddie’s direction.

**“WE WILL MAKE SURE EDDIE DOES NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN, LITTLE BIRD. WE BOTH WANT YOU SAFE AND HAPPY.”**

“Yeah, what he said.”

Eddie fetched the pills and pulled together the promised breakfast. Venom was a pain until Eddie let him eat some of the chocolate from Liz’s stash.

“There is something else I wanted to talk to you about, if you’re feeling more awake.” Eddie said the words slowly, almost hesitant.

Liz leaned back in her chair, shivering a little from the ice pack on her ankle. Venom had insisted upon wrapping the rest of her leg up to the ankle to try and keep her warm. “Well, I’m certainly awake now. Go for it.”

Eddie chuckled for a moment. “It’s about last night. I hope I wasn’t being too forward in front of your coworker.”

“You mean calling yourself my boyfriend without discussing it with me first?”

“…Yeah.”

Liz grinned at the apprehensive tone. “Then relax, Eddie. The only problem I would have with it is not including Ven. Which you couldn’t. Whatever this relationship we have is… it doesn’t really need a name for me. And calling yourself my boyfriend got him to back down. Win win in my book.”

 **“THEN ARE WE YOUR BOYFRIEND?”** Venom sounded more curious than anything else.

“Yes. You are also my boyfriend. I get to have two for the price of one. And you and Eddie are boyfriends. I guess if we lived together we’d be a ménage à trois.” She set her elbow on the table and cupped her chin in her open palm.

**“WHAT IS THAT?”**

“Hmmm… three people who have sex together and live together, basically.” Liz shrugged slightly.

Eddie coughed to try and hide either his choking or laughter. Or both. Liz wasn’t sure.

 **“BUT YOU HAVEN’T HAD SEX WITH EDDIE. AND WE DID NOT GET TO FINISH WITH YOU.”** Oh, he definitely sounded petulant that time.

Liz fought to hold back her laughter, but she couldn’t stop herself from grinning. Eddie was certainly coughing and choking now. He probably hadn’t expected that from Venom either. “Well, we can discuss all of that later. Besides, we don’t live together.” Still, she could feel her face heating up as she remembered what they’d started last night.

Venom was quiet for a few moments as Eddie gasped and struggled to catch his breath. **“THAT IS TRUE. YOU SHOULD REST TODAY. WE COULD TAKE YOU SWINGING TONIGHT.”**

He sounded too hopeful to turn down. “Sure, Ven. That sounds nice. And it’ll keep me off my ankle.”

“Look, I’m sure you want some time to yourself today.” Eddie said quickly. “So… why don’t I bring dinner? We can talk before we go out.”

“We being me and Ven, right?”

“Uhhh… yeah, but you do realize that I’m just as aware of what’s going on when V is in control as he is when I am in control.” Eddie half asked, half stated after a moment.

Liz felt her face heating even further from embarrassment. Not only had she made a bad assumption, but Eddie had been part of what happened last night. “Oh.” Her voice squeaked and she coughed to clear her throat, lifting her chin from her palm. “Oh, well, of course I knew that.”

“…Uh huh. Well, one of the reasons V likes going out and swinging around town is because I hate heights.”

 **“YOU ARE SILLY. WE WOULD NEVER LET YOU GET HURT, EDDIE.”** Venom scoffed.

“If you’re scared of heights we don’t have to go out, Eddie.” Liz said quietly, suddenly feeling bad for enjoying swinging around with Venom.

“No, it’s fine. V is going to do it, regardless of if you’re with us or not. I’d rather have you in our arms.” Eddie’s voice turned slightly smug.

Liz waved a hand at him. “Tease.”

“Flirt.”

**“COWARDS.”**

Liz blinked. “What?”

**“WE COULD HAVE SEX WHILE SWINGING.”**

Eddie was still spluttering, offended and embarrassed, when the pair left her apartment.

Liz kept her face buried in her hands after they left. Her face felt like it was on fire and she wasn’t sure if she was more turned on or horrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you see, my statement on chapter 2 was true. More comments = more chapters faster.
> 
> Seriously. I live for your comments.
> 
> Also, Liz's reaction is literally mine when I thought of that scenario at the end. 
> 
> *flustered pterodactyl noises*


	12. Going down in flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a happy holiday!
> 
> I might end up stranded at my parent's house... it's a three hour drive to get back to my apartment. Hopefully I can go home soon??
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy the new chapter! Things are moving forward!

Liz cursed under her breath when she heard her phone start ringing. She hadn’t brought it back to her bedroom last night since she’d passed out on the couch with Eddie and Venom. While her ankle wasn’t hurting too badly anymore, probably just a mild sprain, she didn’t want to push herself too much. It wouldn’t be difficult to turn a mild sprain into a major one. So her cellphone had gone to voicemail by the time she found it buried in a couch cushion.

“God damn it.” She muttered under her breath. Liz had a pretty good idea about who would have been calling her. Cal was probably leaving a message on her phone, so she waited a few minutes before trying to call him back.

“Ah, Liz. Did you get home alright last night?” Calvin sounded relieved to hear her voice.

She sat down on her couch and propped up her ankle again before answering. “Yes, Cal. Eddie takes good care of me and knows when to give me space.” Liz didn’t mean to sound snarky, but she was anxious and grumpy that Cal was acting protective. “Have you heard anything about Aaron?”

Calvin sighed and she could hear him rustling papers on the other end of the line. “Not much. Active case and all that. Sounds like he’s spoken with his public attorney and is working with the police.”

“I want to be available at any hearings.”

“Yes, I know, you want to support him. He’s not going to get away with a clean slate, Liz.” His voice was gentle, trying to break uncomfortable news.

Liz lifted a hand to rub at her head. “I understand. But I promised I would be there for him. I’m not going to just abandon him.”

There was a short pause on his end. “I’m proud of you. You’ve got a big heart.” There was genuine warmth in his voice.

“Call me if you hear anything about his case. I’ve got to get some things done.”

“Alright. Take care of yourself, Liz.”

Liz shut the little flip phone and leaned over to set it on the coffee table. She groaned and slumped to her side, shifting her ankle to rest on the opposite arm rest. The cushion on the couch had a different scent. Liz pressed her face against it, breathing in the scent of Eddie’s leather coat. God, she was hopeless.

She smiled regardless.

~

Eddie brought burgers and fries. Liz had been surprised he’d ordered something she would like. He’d teasingly reminded her that burgers and tacos had been the first real meal she’d fed him. She’d been touched by the fact he remembered what she’d ordered.

Liz jumped up suddenly, ignoring the twinge in her ankle. “I almost forgot, I have a treat for you, Ven.”

“No treats for me?” Eddie asked playfully.

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him, reaching up to a cabinet and feeling for the correct bag.

 **“TREAT? WHAT TREAT, LITTLE BIRD?”** Liz was pleased by the eager tone in his voice.

Liz turned and held up the bag with a little shake. “Chocolate covered potato chips!”

The bag was suddenly ripped out of her hand. She could hear it being torn apart, followed by rapid chomping noises. **“YES, GOOD CHOICE OF TREAT.”**

“Eh… heh… you’re welcome?” She said slowly, rubbing absently at the palm of the hand that had held the bag. She hadn’t expected that energetic of a response.

“Geez, V, you could try being polite. You know, ask instead of taking things?” Eddie grumbled.

 **“SHE SAID IT WAS A TREAT FOR US. SO WE TOOK IT.”** Venom snapped right back at his host.

Liz lifted her hands. “Guys, it’s fine. I was just a bit startled, Ven. I’m not mad. You can have some of my fries.” She offered as she sat down at the table.

Venom rumbled and curled a few tendrils around her right wrist.

“Thank you for bringing dinner, Eddie. I kinda skipped lunch…” She chuckled and shrugged a bit.

“Liz, that’s really not good for you.”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks dad.” She grumbled and shoved a fry in her mouth.

Eddie sighed. “I’m sorry, don’t get mad.”

Liz swallowed and slowly shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just… stressed and anxious. Sometimes when I get stressed like this I struggle to remember to eat.”

She felt Eddie’s hand wrap around her left hand, gently squeezing. Ven tightened his tendrils around her right wrist at the same time. Liz felt her chest tighten and her eyes start to sting. She blinked quickly to fight back the sudden tears.

“Thanks, guys.” Her words were barely above a whisper.

“Thank me by eating your hamburger. Then _I_ won’t have to worry about _you_.” Eddie said with a chuckle, pulling his hand away.

Venom had brought his head closer to Liz. **“WE WILL HELP YOU EAT IF YOU DON’T WANT THE FOOD. OUR SECRET.”** He probably had meant for it to be a conspiratorial whisper, but even Eddie could hear him.

Eddie and Liz both burst into laughter at the same time.

**“WHAT?”**

~

It was still weird to leave her apartment without her long cane. Swinging with Venom was just easier without trying to keep track of the long cane, though. Besides, she knew Venom would keep her safe. And it wasn’t like he was going to dump her on the street and expect her to find her way around.

Liz had both her arms wrapped around Venom’s neck. She would have wrapped her legs around him too, koala style, but he insisted on cradling her body against his chest with one hand gripping her thighs. She should have argued. It was safer if he could use both hands. But honestly, she loved the thrill and the feel of him occasionally tightening his hand on her thighs. Venom’s claws lightly pricked her skin through the jeans from time to time.

They had been swinging around the city for almost an hour when Venom finally stopped. He settled them on the edge of the roof. Liz was in his lap, one of his large arms wrapped carefully around her to make sure she was safe. His other hand gently ran fingers through her hair.

 **“YOUR HEART IS RACING, LITTLE BIRD.”** He murmured.

Liz leaned more against him, running a hand up and down along the arm pinning her. “That’s your fault. I love the feeling of freedom when we go swinging. You know what would be fun? We should go sky diving.”

“Sky diving?!” That was Eddie’s voice, high pitched with near panic.

“Eddie?” She lifted her hands and felt for Venom’s face. Oh, that was weird. Half of the face was Venom’s and the tendrils playfully clung to her fingers. The other half was Eddie’s face. “Oh man, that’s kinda freaky.”

“That… that is what is freaky to you?!” Eddie half gasped out.

Liz frowned a little. “Yeah?”

**“EDDIE, BE NICE. YOU KNOW WE WOULD KEEP YOU SAFE IF WE DOVE IN THE SKY.”**

Liz laughed and tugged on their face to bring them down toward herself. She placed a soft kiss against Eddie’s cheek. Figuring out how to kiss him properly when half his face was just teeth was beyond her currently.

“It was just an idea. We don’t have to do it. Yet.” She added playfully.

**“SCARING EDDIE IS FUN.”**

“You two are gonna kill me.” Eddie grumbled.

Liz laughed and wrapped her arms around Venom in a hug. He tightened his hold on her as well. “We really should get home. You two could spend the night. Just don’t leave shoes lying around.”

Venom huffed out a laugh. **“WE WILL MAKE SURE EDDIE DOESN’T HURT YOU.”**

“Geez, nice job making me sound like a jerk.” Liz could almost hear the eye roll.

She smiled warmly and relaxed against the warmth of Venom’s chest. Suddenly she felt his body tense and he turned to look to the left.

“Ven?” Liz paused and frowned, sniffing. The air had been cool and crisp, but now there was something else. “Smoke?”

Venom fluidly stood with Liz in his arms. **“HOLD ON, LITTLE BIRD.”**

~

_V, it is not safe to take Liz to a fire!_

Venom didn’t falter as he held Liz tight against himself, several tendrils wrapping around to make sure she was secure. **_WE WILL NOT PUT HER IN DANGER, EDDIE. WE WILL PUT HER SOMEWHERE SAFE FIRST._**

 _And why are we rushing_ toward _a fire?!_

He wasn’t in a rush to answer that particular question. **_WE ARE GOING TO LOOK. THAT IS ALL._**

Eddie groaned.

~

“Where are we, Ven?” Liz asked, still holding tightly to him once he came to a stop. The scent of smoke was thick in the air. She could hear sirens and screams from somewhere below. He must have gotten them pretty close to the location of the fire.

Venom didn’t respond, but his grip on her tightened, almost uncomfortably so.

“Ven?” Liz murmured, moving one of her hands to the side of his face.

 **“THE POLICE STATION IS ON FIRE.”** His words were carefully neutral.

Liz felt those words like a physical blow. She suddenly thrashed, trying to throw herself away from Venom. She had to get down there. Aaron was still in the station. He was in danger. There had to be something she could do for him, help in the search. Or maybe he was hurt and scared. She could help him. Liz had to get to him.

Venom wasn’t having any of that. He and Eddie had anticipated her response. They held her tightly, wrapping her limps in coils of his body to hold her tight. **“LITTLE BIRD, STOP!”**

“I have to get down there!” She shrieked.

 **“LIZ!”** The word was a sharp rebuke.

Liz sagged suddenly, body trembling. She pressed her forehead against his chest.

 **“THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO.”** Venom’s voice had turned gentle again.

“What about you? Can you go help?” She whispered hopefully.

 **“NO, LITTLE BIRD.”** He gently stroked her head. **“FIRE CAN KILL US, REMEMBER? THERE ARE MANY HUMANS ALREADY DOWN THERE. AND WE DO NOT KNOW YOUR HUMAN CHARGE.”**

Liz felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She hurt, on the inside. Aaron was down there, possibly dead. Could she have done something sooner that would have kept him out of the police station? Out of danger?

“Liz, it’s not your fault. For all you know he’s safe. Don’t mourn him until you know.” Eddie’s voice again, trying to offer some human words of comfort.

“Okay.” She knew her voice sounded hollow. So much was happening so fast. Too fast. “Can I please go home?”

Venom lowered his head, just his now, to nuzzle against the top of her head. **“OF COURSE. WE WILL KEEP YOU SAFE. WE WILL STAY TO HELP YOU.”** His voice was a gentle promise.

“Thank you.” She stayed limp this time as Venom wrapped her in tendrils along with one arm to keep her safe with him. “Both of you.”

~

Aaron stumbled against the alley wall, panting hard. He’d run in a blind panic and wasn’t even sure where he was. It didn’t matter anyways. Everything had gone to hell. He staggered behind a dumpster and slumped down against it. The ground was cold and wet, quickly soaking through the thin pants. Aaron clutched at his head and squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

“Keep it under control. Control. Control.” He muttered over and over under his breath while little flickers of flame danced around his hands and head.

He needed help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...


	13. I trusted you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write this sooner, but some shit came up in my life. Ya know, just life stuff.
> 
> I do know how this fic is going to end. And it is coming soon. A few more chapters. But, I also have some ideas for one-shots set in the future of Love is Blind. 
> 
> Also, also: I do take prompts~

Warmth. Her bed was extra warm and it felt like the blankets were wrapped around her body. Had she rolled in her sleep and gotten tangled? Liz reached out, stretching against part that was wrapped around her arms. A flutter of panic worked its way into her sleepy mind when she couldn’t pull it away.

 **“DON’T STRUGGLE SO MUCH, LITTLE BIRD.”** Venom’s voice was a tired rumble against her back. The coils tightened more around her body and she suddenly realized she was surrounded in Venom’s tendrils and not blankets.

Liz relaxed again, leaning her head back against Venom. Now that her brain was working, she recognized that the texture was wrong for her blankets too. Last night came flooding back and she gave a small shudder. After Venom had brought them back to her apartment he and Eddie had refused to leave. Liz hadn’t really fought them about it. Venom had fed her chocolate and cradled her against himself until she fell into an exhausted sleep. Apparently, he’d moved them both to the bed at some point as well.

“Ven, let me go.”

Venom rumbled again and held her tighter. **“REST, PHONE IS NOT RINGING.”**

Ah, that was right, she’d gotten him to promise to wake her up if the phone rang. She was desperately hoping for word from Cal about what happened to Aaron. The not knowing was worse than finding out he was dead.

“No, Ven, I need the bathroom.” She squirmed against his hold.

There was a wordlessly unhappy grumble before Venom released his hold on her. The air was significantly cooler without his warmth. Liz stumbled a little, trying to find where she was since she didn’t remember how they’d laid down. She finished up in the bathroom quickly and padded back over to the bed, crawling back to Venom. He wrapped her in his arms, tendrils coiling around her lower half in a comforting warmth.

“What time is it?” She asked softly.

Venom yawned before nuzzling the top of her head. **“EARLY. EDDIE SAYS IT’S JUST BEFORE EIGHT.”**

Liz groaned quietly. “Give me my phone. Cal should be at work by now.”

**“THAT WILL MAKE YOU UPSET AGAIN.”**

“Give me my damn phone, or I’ll kick your ass out of my apartment.” She hissed the words through clenched teeth.

 **“YOU AREN’T STRONG ENOUGH FOR THAT, LITTLE BIRD.”** Despite pointing that out, she felt him shift around to look for her phone. If he hadn’t, she would have had some key words for her alien boyfriend. Ugh, alien boyfriend just sounded too weird right now. Liz scrubbed at her face with one hand to try and restart her brain a bit. Her skin felt dry and scratchy from the tear streaks of last night.

Liz felt the tendrils draw away from her body, blankets being pulled around her instead. The bed shifted before Eddie’s warm hand touched her arm. “Here, found your phone.”

“Thanks.” Her voice grew hollow. It felt like there was a lump in her throat. “Is he mad at me?”

Eddie snorted and wrapped his arm around her midsection, pulling her back against his chest. “Nah, I just wanted a chance to comfort you myself.” There was a slight hesitation to his words.

She felt her heart clench at the sweetness of it. Liz twisted her upper body around enough to place a kiss against his jaw and then his lips once she found them. It was so much easier to express her feelings with Venom for some reason. But moments like this, she treasured having Eddie with her too. “Thanks. Maybe I need some more human interaction.”

“Stop delaying and make your phone call, hun.” Eddie pressed his face against the top of her head, though. She was pretty sure he was smiling, considering that he gently tightened his hold around her midsection.

Liz grumbled quietly to herself, she wasn’t trying to delay! Okay, she was, but she knew better than to agree with him. Instead, she dialed Cal’s number from memory, fingers feeling the braille numbers on the number pad of the little flip phone.

“Liz! Have you turned on the news yet?!” Cal’s voice was strained.

Crap, of course she needed to explain how she knew there was trouble. “Yeah, just barely. I hoped you’d have more information. And the radio refuses to answer my questions. What happened? Where is Aaron?”

Cal was silent for a long moment. “The police station had… an explosion or something. The holding area is where it seemed to have started. Several fatalities.” He paused again, making Liz’s stomach drop. “Aaron is among the missing. There are some bodies that haven’t been identified yet…”

“So they think he died?” Liz whispered, eyes tightly closed. She was too tired for tears, too many had been shed last night.

“Probably. We won’t know for sure until they get results back. But there are more missing than bodies found.” Cal tried to sound a little hopeful. “There’s nothing more you can do right now, Liz. Don’t beat yourself up over this. There was nothing you could have done.”

“I know.” Liz squeezed Eddie’s hand with her free one when he suddenly grabbed it. “I know, Cal. Just promise you’ll call if you find out anything else. Even bad news.”

Cal sighed on the other end of the phone. “I will. Take some time off, okay? And call me if you need anything.”

“Bye.” Liz flipped the phone shut and tossed it so that it went over the edge of the bed.

Eddie held her hand, shifting to lace his fingers with hers. His thumb brushed back and forth over her skin. He’d noticed her craving for physical contact when under stress and was doing his best to help her.

“Anything we can do for you?”

Liz sighed. “He’s right. I can’t… I can’t beat myself up over this.” It wouldn’t stop her from doing that, but she didn’t want Eddie to worry. “We should get up. I need to clean myself and change.”

“We can make breakfast.” Eddie added brightly.

“As long as it’s you and not Ven.”

**“WE STILL THINK EGGS AND CHOCOLATE ARE GOOD.”**

Eddie and Liz both shuddered in revulsion.

~

Venom and Eddie stayed close the next two days. Venom practically wanted to be attached to Liz at all hours. It was sweet the first day. It was annoying the second morning. And by the second afternoon…

“Back off!” Liz swatted at the tendril that was curling up her left arm. “Seriously, just stop touching me!”

 **“LITTLE BIRD?”** He sounded surprised, though Eddie just gave a quiet snort.

“You’re smothering me!” Liz snapped at Venom through clenched teeth. “I know you mean well, but I’m starting to feel like I can’t breathe around you, Ven. I’m hurt, but I’ll heal. It’s not the end of the world.” She threw her hands in the air, exasperated.

There was a long silence that followed her outburst and she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Are you two talking behind my back?”

**“NO, WE ARE TALKING IN FRONT OF YOU.”**

“Jesus, V.” Eddie sounded caught between annoyance and amusement at his symbiote.

That, for some reason, was just the last straw. Liz turned and pointed at the door. “Out.”

Eddie took in a deep breath. “Liz, come on. I wasn’t-“

“Out.” Liz repeated firmly. “You’ve been perfectly fine, Eddie, but Ven can’t leave without you. So, out! I need some space, guys. I have to… process this.”

“If you’re sure, then we’ll go. You have our number.” Eddie murmured gently.

Liz’s shoulders slumped and she rubbed her face with one hand. “I’m sorry to snap. It’s just… a lot has happened really fast and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. You, me, and Ven… this whole thing with… Aaron… It’s just a lot all happening.”

Eddie snorted quietly. “The three of us wasn’t all our fault.”

“Ven started that damn kiss. Jealous ass.” Liz grumbled.

**“YOU LIKED IT.”**

Liz pointed a finger in the direction of the symbiote’s voice. “That isn’t the point right now, Ven!”

“Okay, okay. Let’s be adults. I get it, Liz. You need a little personal space. We have practically moved in for the last few days. And I doubt you enjoy this much pampering. You’re too independent.”

“Damn straight.”

“As I was saying.” Eddie gave a meaningful pause at her interruption. “We don’t want to take over your whole life. You’re… your own person. And it can’t just always be about us or our relationship.”

Liz tilted her head, thinking over his words and then nodded firmly. “Exactly, yes. That’s exactly it. I couldn’t find the right words.”

Eddie gave another chuckle. “Well, it helps that I’m a reporter. Gotta know what to write. And I’ve been in and out of more relationships that you, probably.”

She could feel her face heat again. “Yeah.” Liz grumbled. “Serious ones, at least. Thanks, Eddie.”

He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her. Eddie gently pressed his forehead against Liz’s before he replied. “You’re welcome. Do I get a goodbye kiss?”

Liz played at thinking it over, smile slowly working its way onto her lips. “Yeah. Seems fair.” She lifted her hands to cup his face, tilting her face upwards.

There was a quiet chuckle from Eddie before he gently kissed her. There was no need to make it into something more. He didn’t want her to feel like he was asking for more after that nice little talk. So he pulled back, leaving the kiss relatively chaste.

“Thanks, hun.”

Liz pulled her hands away from his face. “You’re welcome.”

 **“OUR KISS?”** Venom sounded hopeful, his head on its long tendril pressing in closer to brush against Liz’s cheek.

She pushed his head away from her face with a frown. “No. You’ve gotten two days of cuddles and attention. I think that’s enough affection for now.”

 **“NOT FAIR.”** Venom grumped sulkily.

“And you ate all my chocolate.” Liz hissed at him.

 **“WE WERE HUNGRY.”** Now his tone had become more cautious.

Liz raised a finger in his direction. “ALL of my chocolate.”

“Okay, okay. Time to go. Call us, Liz. I still want to take you out to dinner. Maybe we can make a date out of it?” Eddie asked gently.

 **“WE CAN’T GO ON DATE IN RESTAURANT.”** Venom pointed out.

Liz sighed and smiled faintly, reaching out to touch Eddie’s chest lightly. “I’d like that. Just you and I.” She paused and rolled her eyes. “And Ven can swing us home. Fair?”

Eddie gave her another quick kiss before pulling away playfully. “It’s a date.”

She waved a hand in his direction. “Cheater, stealing kisses.”

“Who’s gonna stop me?” Eddie had opened the door. “See you soon.”

“Bye.” Liz called back softly. As soon as the door shut she felt a heaviness settle into her chest. Venom had been annoying her today but without him here… it was quiet. Too quiet. And too easy to fall back into her thoughts.

~

Liz hadn’t been joking about the chocolate. Venom had sniffed out every piece she had. So she decided to do something to make herself feel better and go buy some more. Actually, she was low on all her snacks.

After a quick check of the apartment, Liz grabbed her jacket and long cane. Her keys went into one pocket, her phone into the other. Credit card in the back pocket of her jeans. She always made sure to double check that she had everything before heading out into the big, wide world.

She’d neglected to check the time before leaving her apartment. Judging from the faint warmth against her left cheek, it was close to sunset. There was still plenty of noise on the streets too. A couple cars rumbled by on the street, children laughed in the distance, and a flock of birds suddenly flew by overhead. Liz slowly stretched in the fresh air. It really had been quite a while since she’d been out on her own. Lately, she’d been chaperoned by either Eddie or Venom whenever she left her apartment, even before the incident with Aaron.

Liz had been tapping her long cane gently ahead of her when her steps came to a stumbling halt. All it took was one word, spoken in a hoarse, terrified tone.

“Elizabeth?”

She whirled toward the alley on her right, struggling to hear that voice again. She hadn’t been imagining it, had she?

“I… I need help, please.” Aaron’s voice, roughened and scared.

Liz stepped into the alley cautiously, trying to zero in on the location of his voice. “Aaron? Are you okay? How did you get away from the fire?” There were a million questions buzzing in her head, but relief was first and foremost.

“I don’t know. It’s just… it’s all messed up. I don’t know what to do. I’m… I’m scared.” Aaron’s voice almost broke at the end. He’d been out here, on his own, for the last two days since surviving the fire. He had to be in poor shape.

“It’s okay. Look, we’ll get this all figured out. Let’s start by getting you back to my place. I’ll call Calvin and we’ll let the authorities know you’re safe-“

“No!” Aaron snapped angrily and started panting hard. “No, I can’t go back there. I need you to help me out.”

Liz took a slow step back. “Aaron, I can’t help you run from the law. You need to turn yourself back in. No one is going to blame you for running from the fire.” She tried to keep her voice gentle, but an ounce of fear worked its way into her words.

“No. It’s not my fault! I… You said you would help me!” Aaron shouted accusingly.

“I am helping you. I know you’re scared, but running from this isn’t going to make it better. You have to take responsibility for the things you’ve done. I’ll be with you the whole way.”

She could hear Aaron start pacing, just a couple feet away from her. “You don’t get it! They can’t help me!” He stopped his pacing. “I trusted you!” There was real heat and anger in his voice. Actually, the alley was feeling hotter. It was probably just her nerves.

Liz held her hands up. “I trust that you’ll do the right thing. You’re a good kid and I want to help you. That’s why I’m going to call Calvin and let him know you’re okay so-“

“Damn it, _no_!” Aaron nearly screamed the words. It felt like a wall of super-heated air slammed into Liz. She was thrown back, gasping and drawing in a lungful of the too hot hair. Her head slammed back into the ground as she landed hard. Her last thoughts were pain and confusion.

~

Why didn’t she understand? He had come to her looking for help. She had promised to help him. His head throbbed with pain as he struggled to keep himself under control. Why was Elizabeth so focused on taking him back to the cops? They had to know what he’d done. They’d lock him away forever, if they didn’t outright kill him.

He knew his temper was getting the better of him. He felt betrayed and rejected by her words. And, like all too often lately, Aaron lashed out in his anger. He realized in the last moment that the fire would kill Elizabeth. He never meant to even hurt her. Aaron reigned in on the flames, sucking them back in toward himself. At least he was immune to them. It still left a blast of hot air to slam into the woman.

“Elizabeth…?” Aaron slowly stepped forward. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… fuck. Oh fuck, this is…” Shit, shit, shit. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. God, this had gone all wrong.

He slowly pulled his hands back, kneeling to check if she was breathing. Aaron wasn’t sure how to check a pulse. Thankfully, he was able to feel her breath against his palm when he held it above her mouth. Okay. Could have been worse. Aaron sat back on his heels and chewed his lower lip, trying to figure out what to do next. Someone was bound to walk by and see them, it wasn’t that late out yet.

“I just need to explain everything. She’ll understand then.” Yeah, it would be okay. But he couldn’t wait for her to wake up here. Aaron carefully picked up Elizabeth, staggering a bit as he got to his feet. He wasn’t used to trying to carry someone. But he promised himself he’d get her to safety. Then he could explain, once she woke up. She had to understand then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is why Liz is chaperoned.


	14. Is this goodbye?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Eddie and Venom chapter! 
> 
> Gotta have some fluff (tiny bit) to go with that A N G S T
> 
> Enjoy~

“Red or blue?”

**“EDDIE. SHE’S BLIND. IT DOESN’T MATTER.”**

“That’s not the point! I just… ugh!” Eddie tossed both shirts back down onto his bed before flopping back onto it as well. He glowered up at the ceiling, watching as Venom’s head moved up into his field of view.

**“YOU ARE BEING STUPID.”**

“And you’re being unhelpful.” He shoved at the head and rolled onto his side. A less charitable person would have called it sulking.

Venom sighed and moved again to look Eddie in the eyes. **“WE LOVE LITTLE BIRD. YOU LOVE HER. SHE LOVES US BOTH. WHY IS THIS DIFFICULT?”**

Eddie rubbed tiredly at his face. “V, it’s not that simple… I don’t… I don’t know if she feels the same for me as she does for…” He trailed off, dropping his hands tiredly.

 **“FOR US?”** Venom tilted his head curiously.

“Yeah.”

**“SHE GAVE YOU KISSES. SHE DIDN’T GIVE US KISSES.”**

Eddie huffed out a breath. “You ate all her chocolate. You’re lucky she didn’t throw you out.”

Venom nodded slowly, eyes narrowing. **“SHE HIT US WITH A SHOE. WHEN IT WAS YOUR FAULT.”**

“The only reason she didn’t hit me too was because she missed. Damn impressive that she even hit you, V.” Eddie reached out, finally tugging Venom’s head close to his chest so he could stroke along his jaw. “You’re really not helping by trying to compare like this. Emotions are just… complicated for humans.”

Venom cuddled his head up under Eddie’s chin and rumbled soothingly. He gently spread tendrils along Eddie’s skin and tightened them into a gentle hug. **“YOU ARE STILL BEING STUPID.”**

“Maybe I am. But after everything that happened with Anne…” He trailed off slowly. The tightness in his chest and throat whenever he thought about his ex was absent. Yes, he felt a little sad… but it wasn’t the same. Was this moving on?

 **“EDDIE.”** Venom’s teeth nipped the edge of the man’s jaw to get his attention. **“FOR HUMANS TRUST IS PART OF LOVE, YES?”**

Eddie nodded slightly and resumed his gently stroking along Venom’s head. “Yeah, it’s a pretty big part of it in my opinion.”

 **“YES. AND WE TRUSTED LITTLE BIRD WITH OUR SECRET. WE TRUSTED HER WHEN WE WERE HURT. VULNERABLE.”** Venom insisted, being surprisingly patient.

“…Well, yeah. I mean, we didn’t mean to trust her with our secret, she figured out who I was. But I would have told her.”

**“LITTLE BIRD TRUSTS US, BOTH OF US, EDDIE. SHE TRUSTED HER BODY TO ME. SHE TRUSTED HER PAIN TO US BOTH WHEN THE BAD THINGS HAPPENED. SHE TRUSTED HER BODY TO YOU BY SLEEPING BY US. VULNERABLE. YOU ARE JUST BEING STUBBORN AND STUPID.”**

Eddie tugged Venom’s head away from his throat and stared at him suspiciously. “When did you start getting wise about relationships?”

**“LATE NIGHT SITCOMS.”**

Eddie shuddered and pushed himself back to his feet. “God, we really are doomed if that’s our source of advice.”

~

Eddie left a voicemail for Liz when she didn’t pick up the phone the next morning. He’d made reservations at a restaurant for tomorrow night and wanted to be sure she was free at the time. He also wanted to check on how she was doing. Despite not answering, he wasn’t too worried. There were plenty of reasons for why she might not have been able to answer the phone.

Instead of worrying, Eddie and Venom went out to get work done. Taking several days off to look after Liz meant that Eddie wasn’t doing research for articles. Articles that would then be used to pay for important things. Like rent and utilities. And chocolate. Too be fair, a lot of his work had gotten easier since Venom came into his life. Or at least less threatening. Possible drug deal going down? No problem trying to sneak in for a peak. If everything went to hell Venom would just get a few extra heads to eat.

“What if we did an article on you, V?” Eddie asked, twirling a pen between his fingers while sitting a table in a small café. Venom had formed a tendril into something that looked enough like a Bluetooth that people wouldn’t question why Eddie was talking to himself.

 ** _YOU COULD ACTUALLY CORRECT SOME OF THOSE STUPID RUMORS ABOUT US._** Venom’s interested was piqued. He’d been somewhat grouchy all day.

Eddie chuckled and started scribbling notes onto a pad of paper. “Yeah, those lizardman theories are pretty funny.”

 ** _THEY ARE NOT. THEY ARE INSULTING._** Venom had tried to threaten a newspaper seller the first time he’d seen one of those articles. Eddie refused to allow his symbiote to eat the newspaper man and the actual author.

“You’re being sulky.” Eddie teased playfully.

**_HMPH._ **

He set the pen aside and looked out the window at the cars busily speeding to and for, the people talking on their phones as they strolled past. It was a pleasant day outside, they really should go out and enjoy some of it.

“Why don’t we go check on Liz tonight if she doesn’t call me back? You can bring her chocolate as an apology.”

He could feel the symbiote perk up within his body at the idea. **_YES. THEN WE CAN GET OUR GOODBYE KISS TOO._**

Eddie couldn’t explain to Venom why the thought of a goodbye kiss suddenly made him feel anxious.

~

By the time the sun had set there was still no call back from Liz. Eddie reminded himself that she probably couldn’t know if she had a voicemail on her phone. She might have been in the shower or something and hadn’t even heard it ring. Trying to be reasonable, he called her again to let her know they were planning to stop by soon.

There was still no answer.

Eddie felt worry settling into his stomach like a heavy stone. It didn’t help when Venom picked up on the feeling too. Of course, Venom didn’t do well with sitting and stewing on things. He wanted action. Eddie didn’t argue when the symbiote demanded they go check on Liz.

Venom dug his claws into the side of the building and reached out for the window.

_We forgot to grab chocolate for her._

He snarled and pushed the window open, slipping into the dark apartment. **“SHE HAS MADE US WORRY. WE ARE EVEN.”** His long tongue lashed the air as he prowled through the living room and into the bedroom. No sign of Liz. More worrying, the scent of her within the rooms was fading, old.

_No one else was here?_

**“NO. HER THINGS ARE GONE. THE STICK. HER JACKET. DOOR IS LOCKED.”** Venom had walked over to the door to double check.

Eddie didn’t want to think it. Didn’t want to say it. But…

_What if she was attacked on the street again?_

Venom snarled and whipped around. He ran to the window and leapt out, leaving it open behind him. He didn’t care about human etiquette right now. It had been too long, with too many people around, to follow a scent on the streets. But Venom knew where Liz liked to shop for her snacks.

He slammed into the small shop, barely avoiding smashing the door. The woman behind the counter, far less impressive than Mrs. Chen, screamed and instantly tried to cower under the counter. Venom merely leaned over and snarled down at her. If he was here to kill her, she would already be dead. Stupid woman.

 **“WHERE IS-“** He broke off for a moment. **“LIZ? WHERE IS SHE?!”** It was only the second time Venom had ever used her actual name. Calling her little bird made her… his. He liked that. But no one else, except maybe Eddie, was allowed to know or use that name for Liz.

“What?! She-she hasn’t been in! I have- I haven’t seen her in a w-week. Oh god, don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me!”

Venom snorted and shoved away from the counter. He stalked out of the shop and stood still, hands clenched into fists. Not having some kind of solution to a problem was an unpleasant sensation.

_V, I have an idea. What about that work buddy of Liz’s, Calvin?_

Ah, Eddie was an investigative reporter. Of course, he would have ideas for how to continue the search for their little bird.

 **“WHERE IS HE, EDDIE?”** Venom snarled, leaping up to climb to the roof.

_Well, I don’t know yet! Get us home, I can find out where to find him._

Venom was going to get answers from this Calvin, one way or another. He hurried to swing home so Eddie could get a location for them.

~

Being bonded to the symbiote meant that Eddie had a good idea about what Venom had planned. And scaring the shit out of Liz’s coworker to get answers was going to be their last resort, not their first. He spent most of the trip back to the apartment arguing with Venom over it. Finally, the symbiote relented when Eddie pointed out that fear could work against them. And that it was still an option at the end.

Eddie threw himself at his laptop once Venom got them back into their place. He couldn’t let himself think about anything but the work. He already had the name of the company Liz worked with, once on the website he found their staff and located Calvin’s information. No home listing. Fine. Eddie started googling his name to get an address. Thinking too much wasn’t going to help. He would start seeing blood splashed on sidewalks. Hospital rooms. Funerals.

His hands were shaking bad enough that his handwriting was nearly illegible. Eddie stopped and braced himself against the desk, letting shudders run through his body. No. Liz was a fighter. Independent and strong in her own way. She was going to be fine.

**_WE WILL FIND HER, EDDIE. TOGETHER._ **

He swallowed hard and nodded, lifting his head and quickly writing down the address. “Yeah. We will.”

They had to.

~

Eddie parked the motorcycle and leapt off, hurrying up to the steps of the apartment complex. It was a nicer place than his, not that he cared, but the main door was locked and he would need to be buzzed in.

**_WE CAN CLIMB IN. BREAK A WINDOW._ **

“Last resort, V.” Eddie muttered under his breath and pressed down on the numbered buzzer. Hopefully Calvin was still awake, it was pretty early in the night still.

After a few moments there was a staticky noise from the intercom. “Hello?” The voice was Calvin’s, mildly annoyed.

“It’s Eddie. Eddie Brock. Look, I need to talk to you.”

“In the middle of the night? No, I’m not going to help you with some damn article.”

Eddie gritted his teeth and pressed harder on the intercom. “Liz is missing. Last time I saw her was yesterday afternoon. I called her this morning. She wasn’t home when I checked about an hour ago. I just want to know if she’s safe.”

There was a sudden click from the direction of the door before Calvin’s voice came back on. “Get up here so we can talk.”

~

“We have to take this to the cops. She hasn’t been gone forty-eight hours, but she’s blind. She could be hurt somewhere and have no way of getting around. Liz wouldn’t have gone this long without contacting either of us. She has clients who rely on her being available when they need her.” Calvin looked tired, slumped in his chair.

“They’ll take too long, I can find her faster. I just need something to… give me a direction.” Eddie said, pacing back and forth in front of the other man. Between his own agitation and Venom’s, he couldn’t stand still.

Calvin frowned faintly at Eddie. “How can you do better than the cops? They can track her phone, once they have a warrant.”

Eddie paused for a brief moment to rake his fingers through his hair and glare at Calvin. “I can’t explain how. I just can.”

“I know you’re worried…” The other man’s voice actually turned gentle. “You love her, don’t you?”

There was a long moment of silence as the cold ache settled back in Eddie’s chest. He could feel Venom’s attention fixated on him. On his answer.

“I never told her.” Eddie whispered softly.

Calvin sighed and leaned back again. “Look, I don’t know if this will help, but one of Liz’s cop friends, Allen, passed me some information. It’s not public. If you print this, it’s going to be my job, Eddie.” He said sternly.

“I just want to find Liz. I swear.”

“That fire at the station? It wasn’t natural. It started in the holding cells. And the only person from the holding cells that is unaccounted for is Aaron Sidler, Liz’s patient.” Calvin had closed his eyes, rubbing at his face. “I was going to tell Liz tomorrow.”

Eddie was grateful that Calvin wasn’t looking because Venom tried to surge up from his body. Rage, fear, and horror exploded from the symbiote’s mind, nearly swamping his human host. Eddie staggered and put his hand against a wall for support. He worked to send calm strength back to Venom. Not here, not yet.

“I need his files.” He knew his voice was hoarse, tight.

Calvin’s head snapped back up, eyes shocked. “What?” He shook his head. “I can’t give you confidential files, Eddie. That’s… too far.”

Eddie snarled, fighting to keep Venom from coming out and forcing the information from the stupid, rule following, man. “I can find what I need online, Calvin! It’ll just take me longer! That could be the difference between finding her alive and finding her dead! This isn’t for me, this isn’t about egos. I just want to find Liz!”

The man leaned further back, licking his lips nervously. Perhaps Eddie hadn’t been fully successful in keeping Venom completely hidden. “I can’t.” He croaked out. “I’ll lose my license. I can’t give you those files.”

 **“YES. YES YOU CAN. AND YOU WILL.”** Venom covered Eddie’s body and stepped closer to the man. He leaned down to bring his face, and his many teeth, closer to Calvin’s face. His hands were braced on either side of the chair, effectively pinning him in.

Calvin was shaking in terror, face pale as he made small, terrified noises.

 **“GIVE US THE FILES. NOW!”** Few normal people could cope with having Venom screaming in their face.

~

Venom and Eddie left through the closest window, swinging away from the apartment. They left behind a traumatized, if intact, man and Eddie’s motorcycle. It was faster to go around this way and Venom’s limited patience was already wearing thin. He clutched a packet of papers as he rushed to find a safe place to go through them. To let Eddie find the thread that would lead them to the one who had taken away his little bird.

**“WE ARE COMING. WAIT FOR US.”**

Because Venom didn’t know, didn’t want to know, what he would do if she wasn’t still waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, what would you do? 
> 
> What if she's already gone...?
> 
> Is this goodbye?


	15. We need to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired of looking at this chapter. I'm not happy with it and I can't even exactly say why. But I'm sick of re-reading it. Take it and I shall move onto the next.
> 
> Also, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me so far! You guys are amazing! I love every comment, they give me so much motivation to keep going with this fanfic!

Pain.

Liz woke to pain. She was lying on her side, resting on something soft, but lumpy. Her head throbbed when she tried to move. It made her stomach roll and-

She lurked to her knees in time to throw up, throat burning in pain as she heaved. Her world narrowed to the splitting pain in her head, the rolling ache in her abdomen, and the burning in her throat. She barely managed to push herself away from the mess before she collapsed onto her side again. Liz curled up as much as she could, shuddering as she tried to push the pain aside. What had happened? Where was she?

The last thing she remembered was going out for snacks when… Aaron! She jerked, trying to sit up before moaning and curling up again. Aaron was alive. And she’d… somehow gotten hurt. The air here was cool, either she was inside or it was night. It felt good against her face, her skin felt tight and hot like a sunburn. She could distantly hear cars, the sounds of gulls, and ringing. Though that last might have been from her injury. Liz didn’t trust her sense of smell yet, her nose was running after throwing up and besides, this area probably just reeked from it.

Normally, Liz wasn’t the type to lay around and wait for help. But she had no idea where she was, how long she'd been here, her long cane wasn’t right by her, and she was in pain. She was fairly certain by now that she had a concussion, but she didn’t know how severe it was. Was there bleeding inside her head? She’d been unconscious, if she fell asleep again would she slip into a coma? Liz couldn’t wait and hope, but the thought of trying to move made her stomach roll and cramp again.

“H-hello? Help. Anyone hear me?” Liz’s voice was a bit hoarse. It felt like sandpaper had been scraped down her throat. Some of that would have been due to throwing up, but it also felt almost burned.

There was a metal thud from somewhere further away, the sound echoed softly. Ah, so she was inside somewhere.

“Elizabeth?!” Hurried footsteps came toward her. “Oh, gross. Elizabeth, are you awake?” Aaron sounded so worried and relieved as he came to kneel by her side.

“Water?” She croaked, still curled up with her misery.

“Oh, yeah! Uh, hold on.” Liz could hear him scramble back to his feet and away before coming back and pressing a plastic water bottle into her hand. “Do you need help sitting up? You look… awful.”

Well, dignity be damned. Liz wanted to be able to drink the water without throwing it up again. “Yes, please.”

Aaron carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders and helped her to sit up against his shoulder. “Okay, here. Drink it slow.” His voice was an anxious, tight whisper.

Liz wasn’t about to argue with him on that. She took slow, small sips of the water. With luck, she’d be able to keep this down. Now if only her headache would recede.

“Aaron.” Ah, yes, much easier to talk now. “Where are we?”

Leaning up against the young man’s shoulder, Liz could feel him tense up. “Somewhere safe. For now. It’s near the piers.”

“Okay. What happened?”

“You fell down and hit your head. We were arguing and I guess you slipped.” Aaron said quickly as he pulled away from Liz, leaving her to hold herself up. “I brought you here.”

This wasn’t going to go well. Liz could almost feel it. “Alright, Aaron. I’m sorry I worried you. But I should probably go to a hospital. I think I have a concussion.”

Aaron was pacing a couple feet away from where she was sitting. “No. Not yet. I didn’t… you didn’t let me explain before. About why I can’t go back to the cops.” He had suddenly stopped pacing and dropped to the ground in front of her. “I really need you to listen to me. To… to understand.”

All Liz wanted was some ibuprofen and to crawl into her bed. But Aaron was here and she had a sinking feeling that he was becoming a danger to himself and others. If he felt she was the last person he could rely on and she pushed him away… “Okay, I can’t go anywhere, Aaron. I’m here and I’ll listen to whatever you need to explain.” She tried to keep her voice calm and even rather than hurt and close to panic.

“I…” Aaron had jumped back up to his feet and started pacing again. “I don’t want you to be scared of me. I would never hurt you. You have to believe me. You’ve helped me so much and I… I need you to believe me.” His voice had risen toward the end until it was almost a desperate wail.

“You’re upset. Take a deep breath, okay? In through the nose and out through your mouth. You have to calm down before you explain yourself. Focus on what you can see, on what you hear.” It would certainly be faster to get the story out of him if he was calmer.

It sounded like he took her advice, but he still kept pacing. If it helped with the nervous energy, Liz was fine with it.

“I’m not normal.” Aaron blurted suddenly after taking another ragged breath. “A… a couple years ago things… started happening around me. I didn’t want to tell anyone. I’m not a freak!”

“I would never call you that.” Liz murmured soothingly.

“Yeah.” He paused in his pacing for a few moments before starting again. “Just, remember… I would never hurt you. I never wanted to hurt anyone! Things just… happen around me. I can’t… it’s harder to control now. It’s like the fire is under my skin and when I get upset it just… leaves me.”

Liz frowned as he spoke, setting the plastic water bottle aside. “Fire? Are you talking literal fire?”

Aaron once again stopped his pacing and was silent for a long minute. “Yes. Literal fire. When I get upset, I make fire. I don’t know how or why, it just happens.”

She felt her heart slam against her chest as things started lining up. The gas station fire. Aaron’s fear and panic when it had been brought up in the holding cell. The police station fire. Liz swallowed heavily as she remembered the wash of heat before she passed out. The sunburn like feeling on her face and her sore throat. If it was as out of control as Aaron was implying… this was a very dangerous situation.

“So, those things that happened weren’t on purpose?” Liz asked softly, struggling to hide the tremor of fear in her tone.

“No! No, Elizabeth, I swear, I never wanted to hurt anyone! I didn’t mean for… for any of that to happen! You have to believe me, please. I’m not crazy!”

Liz nodded a little. “I do believe you. You have plans for your life, a good life. You wouldn’t want to mess all that up.” She kept her voice as soothing as possible.

“Exactly! You know me, you know I didn’t want to do those things!” He sounded so relieved, sitting back down near Liz.

“Okay. I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me. What do you plan to do now?” She had plenty of ideas for what they should do now, but she didn’t want to anger or upset him again.

There was an awkward silence for several moments before Aaron answered. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know what to do! They must know about… about me. I know police stations have cameras. They’ll put me away forever.”

“Aaron… I think your fear is getting the better of you. You didn’t have control of yourself. They can hardly blame you for that. Yes, you probably should have come forward about this sooner so someone could help you, but you’re still a minor. You were scared and it was accident. They aren’t-“

“They will!” It sounded like he’d leapt back to his feet and was soon pacing back and forth again. “I thought you’d understand! Normal people treat anyone different as either lesser or a danger. No one thinks of you as a capable person because you’re blind. No one will believe that I’m innocent because I have scary, mutant powers. I’ll be labelled a danger to society.” Aaron’s last words came out as a growl accompanied by a sudden increase in the temperature of the air.

“Aaron?” Liz’s voice came out closer to a squeak than she wanted to admit. Her stomach rolled again, head pounding away. At least this time she didn’t throw up.

The heat vanished. “Shit. I’m sorry. I promise, I’m not going to hurt you. Look, why don’t you rest? I’ll go get something for you to eat and some more water. Then we… we can plan how I’m going to get out of this.”

“I’m hurt already. I need to go to a hospital.” Liz tried to sound firm, but she was scared. She was scared of the situation and for the first time, she was scared of Aaron.

“I can’t. It was risky enough trying to find you. And hospitals have cameras and security. I can’t… It’ll be okay. I’ll be back in a little bit. Just… it’ll be okay.” He seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as he was convincing her. His voice was becoming more distant as he walked away while talking.

“Aaron?! Don’t leave me here!” She dropped all pretense of calm. There was panic in her voice and the attempt at shouting made her head throb, ears ringing louder.

His reply was distant, echoing back to her. “I’ll be back!”

Liz bit her lower lip, trying to fight back tears. She curled back up on her side and clutched the plastic water bottle close. She had to stay awake, couldn’t risk slipping into a coma or something. And if she heard voices, she could call out for help. Despite her best intentions, tears slowly fell. Liz was scared, alone, and in pain. There was no guarantee of help coming.

A shaky breath escaped her, almost a dry laugh. Of course help was coming. Ven and Eddie would look for her. Liz had no idea when they would be able to find her, but she knew they would be out there searching. She suddenly jerked in surprise and fumbled at her jacket pocket, trying to find her phone. It was gone. Either Aaron had taken it, or she’d dropped it in the alley. Liz sighed, trying not to let the defeated feeling creep over her. She wasn’t alone. Not really.

_Please find me. I’m not ready to say goodbye._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feed your writer a healthy diet of comments.


	16. Please stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, this is a monster chapter in so many ways. It's the longest chapter I've ever written (almost 5k!) and the angst is just dripping from this. 
> 
> So. I'm sorry in advance. 
> 
> There is for sure one more chapter left in this story. I may come back and do a sequel of sorts for it, but I'll probably take a break before tackling that. I'd need to plan out some characters and plot points.

Eddie raked a hand through his hair, eyes flicking back and forth across the page. They’d gone back to their apartment so he could read through the information in peace. And so that he’d have easy access to the internet. He felt like shit, sweaty and exhausted from exertion and lack of sleep. But between the adrenaline and several cups of coffee he was still wired and awake. Eddie didn’t want to sleep. Sleeping would be time wasted finding Liz. Besides, he was afraid of what he would end up dreaming between his and Venom’s worry.

The papers started dry and clinical. It was mostly police and CPS reports for Aaron’s childhood. Eddie scanned through them to confirm that the teen hadn’t been in contact with his mother since he’d entered foster care. It also seemed unlikely that he would have gone back to any of his former foster homes, since he regularly ran away from them. Venom insisted that they check the current foster home once he was done with his research. Aaron probably hadn’t taken Liz to his current foster family, or she would have already contacted Eddie or returned home. That was if he’d even been responsible… but it was the only lead Eddie had right now. He and Venom had to stay focused on something. If nothing else, the teen might have information about Liz.

Even though Eddie hadn’t read any of Liz’s work, it wasn’t hard to guess who had written the psychological reports that began two years ago. She had mentioned using some kind of voice to text program for her writing, but he couldn’t remember what it was called. Didn’t matter now. Based on her reports, Aaron had started off an angry and introverted young teen. He had slowly come to trust Liz, perhaps because she didn’t represent a threat to him. Eddie could easily imagine someone finding her non-threatening with her lack of sight and warm personality. Liz’s later writing indicated her belief that Aaron was well on his way to a successful life. He wanted to go to college after high school and get a degree in welding. His grades in school had improved now that he was in a stable foster home and no longer running away to cause mischief with a street gang.

So why start a fire in the police station? And how? They had seen that fire, it hadn’t been a small trashcan fire. Half the station had been burned down. Eddie closed his eyes as he felt the fear and tension from Venom cause his guts to clench. Candles made Venom flinch, fire like that was just fucking terrifying. Eddie saw flashbacks to the rocket explosion, to the belief that Venom had sacrificed himself for Eddie.

**_EDDIE. FOCUS. WE ARE HERE AND WE ARE SAFE._ **

With a quick shake of his head, Eddie refocused on the papers. Liz didn’t have much information about the street gang Aaron had once belonged to. If the teen was still on the run from the police, possibly with a hostage now, it was possible he was using the former gang for help. They would have to track down some of their members after checking the foster home.

Eddie leaned back in his chair and glanced at the window. Sunlight was streaking into the apartment, giving it a cheerful golden glow that clashed with his current state of mind. It was still fairly early in the morning, well before noon. “Alright, V, plan of attack. We grab some food first and then make a few… house calls.”

**_GOOD. TIRED OF WAITING. LET’S GO FIND OUR LITTLE BIRD._ **

Eddie stood up and grabbed his jacket before pausing at the front door. “Shit. We left my bike at Calvin’s place.” He started reaching for his phone, thinking to call a cab. It wouldn’t be as fast, but it was better than walking. Would using public transportation actually be faster?

**_NO TIME, EDDIE. WE WILL GO._ **

He knew right away what Venom meant by that. “What?! In the middle of the day? You don’t exactly blend in, V!”

**_WE MUST HURRY. THIS IS FASTEST. BESIDES, MOST HUMANS DON’T LOOK UP._ **

~

Liz was pulled from her quiet misery by the sound of footsteps coming near. She didn’t bother calling out for help, she recognized the sound of these steps. But she did push herself up and turned to face Aaron as he approached. She really had no way to discern how long he’d been gone. Liz had carefully finished off the rest of the water in the water bottle and managed to move herself further away from where she’d thrown up upon first waking. She’d been considering trying to find her way around this place and escape on her own, but trying to stand made her head swim and it felt like she would be sick again. Besides, she had no idea when Aaron would be back.

“Sorry I was gone so long. I… needed to cool off.” Aaron murmured, setting down a plastic bag near Liz. “Um, since your stomach is upset, I got you some crackers. And a bottle of aspirin. Oh, and more water of course. Are you… feeling any better? You look a bit better.” He tried, he really did, to sound encouraging.

Liz took a slow breath, the thought of eating solid food made her queasy and she didn’t know if it was safe to take aspirin when suffering from a concussion. But the pain was bad enough that she decided to take the risk. She reached out and pulled the plastic bag closer, reaching in for the items.

“I’m feeling more awake, at least. But I’m not well, Aaron. I’m hurt.” She kept her tone as calm and gentle as possible. Riling Aaron up could prove deadly if he really had such poor control on his ability. “Thank you for getting these for me. You didn’t steal them, did you?”

Aaron huffed and stood back up. “No! I have some money. Cash. I don’t want to be tracked. Not much left, though.”

Liz nibbled on one of the crackers, she did know that taking aspirin on an empty stomach would only make her feel worse. So, that was probably why he hadn’t tried to skip town. Not enough money to make a clean getaway. Alright, that might have been a bit cynical of her to think. Aaron didn’t have anyone else to turn to, aside from his foster family, and they wouldn’t have been supportive of him running from the police either. There was an easy way to test that theory.

“Aaron, if I can get to a bank I could pull some money for you. Let you escape from the city and try to go into hiding.” Not that she had any intention of actually doing that. Liz had no desire to get in trouble for aiding his escape.

There was a long pause, probably Aaron thinking through the offer. “No. I don’t know how to go into hiding from the government. And I doubt I could get out of the country. We have to think of something else.”

“Like what? I don’t know what you want from this.” Liz pulled out another bottle of water from the bag, carefully unscrewing the lid and taking a sip. Her throat was still sore too, like she’d eaten too hot soup.

That made Aaron start his anxious pacing again. He never could stand still when he felt pressured and scared. “I don’t know! I want everything to go back to how it was before! I never asked to be like this. And I never meant to hurt anyone. I can’t really control it. I try, I really do.”

“You can’t turn back time.” Liz spoke gently, doing her best ‘calm and rational adult voice’. “Whether you like it or not, you have to face what you’ve done and what you can do. No one can make this go away, not even me.”

“No!” He was quick to snap. “I know it won’t, but I want to make it better. You’re friends with some of the cops. You can talk to them for me, make them help me!”

“I don’t know if you killed them in the fire or not.” Liz knew it was cruel, knew it would hurt him. But he wasn’t thinking rationally. Aaron had created a delusion for himself where everything would be put to rights because he willed it so. The world just didn’t work that way.

Aaron had stopped pacing at her words. The silence stretched between them, broken only dimly by the sound of distant cars and the choking cries of seagulls. Liz let it stand for almost a full minute before continuing.

“Yes. People died. I don’t know if they were prisoners or officers. As I understand, some of the bodies are proving difficult to identify because of how badly they were burned.”

“Stop it.” Aaron’s voice came out closer to a croak.

“Do you know how hot a fire has to be to distort and warp bones? I’ve no idea if teeth can be used. I’ve never studied something like that.” Liz didn’t back down, but she kept her tone distant and calm. There was no anger or malice in her voice.

“Stop it, please.”

“It was hot enough that they weren’t even sure if they had all the remains. It’s why the people were listed as missing instead of deceased in the news reports.”

“STOP TALKING!” The wash of heat, both in his voice and the air, hurt Liz. She flinched back, ducking her head down defensively. Aaron’s breath came in ragged pants as he tried to control himself. It was dangerous, pushing him to the point where he would snap like that. Liz knew what to use against him, but it was almost a betrayal of the trust she’d given him for the last two years.

Liz tilted her face back up when the heat passed, turning her face in his direction again. “You are a danger to yourself and others right now, Aaron. And there is nothing left for me to offer you. I can’t help you with the law. I can’t help you with your ability.”

“You said you’d help me!” Aaron shouted it at her, his voice almost cracking as he struggled between anger and pain.

“I will stand by you. I will support you. But I can’t do anything more to help you.” Liz spread her hands simply. “You’ve taken away all my options.”

Aaron didn’t answer her. He turned and ran from the building, footsteps echoing in the large space.

Liz waited until she couldn’t hear any trace of him. Good. Hopefully, he would stay away for a few hours. She planned to be gone by then. Liz grabbed the bottle of aspirin from the bag and quickly removed the plastic wrapping and cap so she could swallow three of the pills. She laid back down on her side, nibbling crackers and sipping water while she waited for them to start kicking in. Once she could stand and walk, she would find her way out of this place and get help.

She’d meant what she said to Aaron, as much as the words had pained her. Liz cared a great deal for the teen. His trust had been hard earned and he’d been doing so much to better his life. But Liz wanted to live more than she wanted to placate Aaron. If it came down to one of them, she was going to pick herself.

Liz just hoped she wouldn’t have to make that choice.

~

Judging by the number and frequency of the screams, Eddie believed he had sufficient evidence that people _did_ look up to publish a paper. But Venom was right, it was faster to let him take over and swing them through the city. Traffic was a bitch, even on his motorcycle. And really, it would have been so much worse if Venom had had a meltdown in the back of a cab.

Thankfully, they hadn’t needed to question Aaron’s foster family. Venom had been able to tell from the scents in the air around the small home that the teen hadn’t been by. Eddie questioned Venom’s conclusions. They had no idea what Aaron smelled like, how had he known? Venom was already moving away from the area while answering.

**“NONE OF THE SCENTS WERE OF A TEEN MALE. FEMALE YOUNG, FEMALE ADULT, MALE ADULT.”** Venom had taken them to a rougher part of town, where the police reports indicated Aaron had been picked up from his street gang. He crouched on a roof, opalescent eyes narrowed as his tongue lashed the air.

_You can’t just grab random people off the street and start interrogating them, V._

**“AND WHY NOT?”**

_Maybe because it’s wrong?_ Even Eddie sounded tired, though. Too tired to really argue.

**“WE WILL BE CAREFUL WITH WHO WE GRAB.”**

By ‘careful with who we grab’, Venom obviously meant grab anyone that looked the least bit suspicious and then scream at them until they either passed out or wet themselves. Thankfully for all involved, Venom managed to catch his prize on the third try. The young man, Eddie refused to think of him as a child despite his apparent age, was only too happy to tell them anything they wanted in exchange for his life. He babbled off locations that the little gang liked to frequent and Eddie managed to prod Venom into demanding the name of the ringleader too. If nothing else, he would make sure that some justice was delivered to the person leading these kids into crime.

Venom was less interested in that. He was singularly focused on locating his little bird. After dropping off the kid, he was moving again. Eddie helped him with finding the locations that they had been given. Each failure only made Venom angrier and more desperate. They had no more leads if this didn’t work. Neither of them would be content with waiting for the police to look for Liz.

They were down to two locations when Venom landed on the roof of the warehouse. He crawled down the side of the building to peer into one of the windows. They were dusty and opaque with age. The space within was blocked by tall stacks of crates that turned the large warehouse into a maze of corridors. The lights within appeared to be off, but some light was filtering in from the windows. In the center of all those stacks it might be hard to see, but the edges were fairly well lit.

The place looked unoccupied, trash was littering some of the corners, but no recent evidence within his line of vision. Still, there was plenty of the inside he couldn’t see. Eddie nudged Venom to hurry up and do a sweep on the interior. They needed to move on to the next location if this was another bust. Venom quickly growled before smacking the window. It shattered under his blow, quite satisfyingly to be honest. He needed something to take his anger and worry out on.

Venom pulled himself into the warehouse from the broken window and froze. His eyes widened as his tongue lashed the air. Here. She was here. There was no mistaking the scent of his little bird. Relief slammed through them both as Venom dropped to the ground and ran toward the source, to the voice calling out.

“Hello? What was that?” Ah, she would have heard the window break when he made his entrance. Hearing her voice made giddy joy flood him, she was alright enough to be awake and aware of her surroundings. Everything was going to be okay, they would keep her safe.

Venom leapt around the corner of a wall of crates and stopped for a moment, chest heaving. Liz was standing, one hand against the wall of crates for guidance. She’d stopped when she heard his approach, body tense. Her clothes were rumpled and her face had a red tint like a sunburn. Venom and Eddie didn’t care.

**“LITTLE BIRD…”**

Liz’s hand dropped away from the wall of crates and she nearly sagged in relief. “Ven!”

He rushed to her, lifting one hand to gently cradle her face. His other hand wrapped around her waist to draw her closer. **“YOU ARE HURT.”**

Venom could feel her nod, face pressed into the warmth of his hand. “Yeah. I think I have a concussion. I don’t know how bad it is, but I really want to get to a hospital just to be sure.” She had reached up, wrapping a hand around his wrist and holding tight. Liz was quivering, breath coming in quick jerks.

**“WE WILL TAKE YOU AWAY. IT IS OKAY.”** His words were a soft rumble, almost a purr.

“No. It’ll make my head pound to start sobbing. I can keep-“

“What the _fuck_ is that?!” Aaron’s voice, high pitched in shock and sudden terror, cut through Liz’s words.

Venom whirled in place, keeping Liz behind his bulk so he could face the source of the voice. The teen standing at the end of the crate wall behind Venom was almost six feet tall, but hadn’t filled out his frame. He still held himself awkwardly, too thin. The layers of baggy clothes helped to hide some of it, but even those were in poor repair. He’d likely had to steal what he could after escaping the fire at the police station.

**“YOU.”** Venom slowly grinned, eyes narrowed and teeth prominently on display. Here was the source of their pain and terror. This boy had hurt his little bird and taken her away.  

The teen stumbled back a step at that single word, but his eyes widened and flicked behind Venom for a moment. “Elizabeth?! Go, get away!” He shouted as he straightened. It looked like he wanted to stand up to Venom. A very foolish thing to do.

“Aaron, it’s okay! Ven is- No, don’t do this!”

Venom ignored her words, and the hand that reached out toward him, as he leapt forward. No, he wouldn’t kill the stupid boy. But he needed to learn a lesson about the consequences of his actions. Venom and Eddie would be happy to teach him.

Aaron yelped and tried to scramble back as Venom leapt at him. He fell back, catching himself with his left hand and raising his right. Heat blossomed in front of the teen briefly, then flames washed out in an arc from hand. More of the flames twined their way up his arm to his shoulder. Neither his clothes nor his body appeared harmed by the fire.

There was no way to avoid all the flames when he was still in the air, but the moment his foot touched the ground Venom sprang to the side and rolled. He snarled in rage and pain, feeling the sections of his being that had bubbled up and burned away from the touch of those flames.

_Well, that explains the fires._ Eddie remarked. _Keep circling around until he’s facing away from Liz. We can’t risk her getting caught in a blast like that._

Now that was a good point. Venom started running to the side, slowly closing the space between him and the fire starter. Aaron had managed to regain his feet in those moments. He was panting hard, but turned to face Venom as he moved. The teen looked angry and scared, a potent mixture.

Aaron swung his arm in a half circle before himself, spreading down a wide swath of fire. Several of the crates on the far side caught fire as well. Venom cringed back from the flames, eyes narrowed.

**_EDDIE, WE MUST CLOSE THE DISTANCE WITH HIM._ **

_Yeah, I noticed. Let’s try going up over and coming down right on top of him._

Venom backed up several steps. Smoke was starting to fill the air; the human wouldn’t be able to see him as clearly in the uncertain lighting. He ran forward and took a running leap to clear over the wall of flames.

They had an excellent view of Aaron backing up with both arms raised, flames curling up past his shoulders. A small spark crackled to life between his upraised hands. Then a torrent of flames was coating his body. Venom shrieked as his form bubbled and nearly boiled away from Eddie’s body. He retreated within his host, trying to protect the last of himself. Eddie landed on the concrete in a roll, gasping in pain. He’d been tucked into a ball by the time Venom retreated. His leather jacket took the worst of the flames from his arms, but his pants hadn’t faired as well. His roll had put the flames out, but he could feel the biting pain of fresh burns.

Eddie lifted his head, face twisted in a grimace of pain and rage. He needed to see the next attack so he could dodge out of the way, regardless of the pain. Eddie’s eyes widened in horror and he tried to throw himself forward, toward Aaron. Toward Liz.

“Liz, no!”

~

Liz struggled not to cry as she leaned her face into the warmth of Venom’s hand. Finally, she could start to feel safe again. Sure, she’d been working on escaping by herself, but knowing that she wasn’t by herself was like a weight from her shoulders. Venom and Eddie could get her the medical help she needed. And Eddie would be able to help her with Aaron.

“No. It’ll make my head pound to start sobbing. I can keep-“

She tensed when she heard Aaron’s voice behind Venom. He had turned away from her at the same time, so she reached out a hand to touch his back. Oh gods, this was not a good situation. Did… did Aaron think _she_ was in danger?! Of course, he must see Venom as a monster.

“Aaron, it’s okay! Ven is- No, don’t do this!”

There was nothing Liz could do to hold Venom back. He leapt away before she could react. Besides, she didn’t think grabbing onto his waist would have slowed him much. She hadn’t even had a chance to warn Venom and Eddie about Aaron. Liz remembered the first time she’d met Eddie, passed out in her bed after Venom had healed them from burns. Fire was one of his weaknesses.

The wash of heat that came a moment later nearly staggered her. Liz stumbled aside and grabbed ahold of the wall of crates again. Fire crackled and roared ahead of her. Venom was snarling. Aaron was panting. But Liz was frozen in place. She had no idea where exactly the flames were ahead of her. And trying to walk away could just put her into the line of fire. Everything was happening too fast for her to be able to clearly hear where everyone was.

It felt like an hour had passed since Aaron confronted Venom, but it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two in real time. Then the sound she’d fear the most came to her ears. Venom was shrieking in pain after another blast of intense heat. Liz heard Aaron walking backwards toward her. She heard the sound of a body hitting the floor and rolling, even over the growing crackle of the fires.

Aaron was going to kill Eddie and Venom. Liz was going to lose them both in one moment. And the teen would destroy any chance of this working out in his favor. The deaths at the police station were an accident, probably. But this would be murder. Aaron was choosing to kill a man on the ground.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Liz pushed away from the crates, half stumbling as she lunged in the direction of Aaron’s footsteps with her arms outstretched. Her left hand contacted an arm and closed tight around it before she could think. Her right arm hit Aaron’s shoulder and the rest of her body slammed against him, knocking them both over. Liz thought she’d heard a shout, but her mind was preoccupied by pain.

The heat washed over her arms and she had tucked her head down enough that it was only mildly unpleasant there. But her hands, her arms… Liz knew she screamed as she held tightly to Aaron and the flames clawed into her flesh. It felt like she held to him for an eternity. The pain clawed its way up her arms and Liz had a manic thought that it would have hurt less to just cut them off.

Then she was being pulled away and something was hitting her arms, which just made them hurt more, not that she could do much to stop it. Liz tried to curl up, to protect her injuries. It just felt like too much effort to move. At least the pain was fading from her hands. That… probably wasn’t a good sign. She struggled to get her brain to focus. When burns stopped hurting it… it meant they were bad.

“Stay with me! Liz!”

Stay? But her head hurt, and the upper parts of her arms still hurt terribly, almost like the flames were still chewing at her flesh. It would be very rude if they’d left part of her burning, but she couldn’t muster the energy to do anything about it. Liz just wanted the pain to go away, why did she have to stay?

“Liz!”

And then it was quiet, and the pain was gone.

~

Aaron was shocked when something slammed into him from the side. He fell heavily to the ground, trying to twist around and kick the person away- Elizabeth! No! He gasped and pulled the flames back into his own body. There was a painful backlash in his head, making his vision swim. Or maybe that was the tears. Oh god, her arms were on fire! Aaron screamed and peeled her left hand off his arm.

The other man was there suddenly, pulling Elizabeth away from him. He had taken his coat off and used it to smother the last of the flames. Aaron just knelt there, staring at what he’d done. Elizabeth’s left hand was covered in white and cherry red patches, the fingers still curled. The burns swept up her arm to just below her elbow, changing from those white and red patches to reddened and blistered skin. Her right hand was reddened and blistered, but it was her arm that had touched his shoulder and the flames. The worst of the burns started on her forearm and spread up higher, half way to her shoulder along with her hand.

He felt sick as he watched the man touch Elizabeth’s cheek, trying to talk to her. She wasn’t responding, not even crying out in pain anymore. He’d done this. How many times had he promised not to hurt her? That he wasn’t dangerous? Aaron looked down at his hands, unharmed despite the flames. If he’d listened… could he have avoided this?

“Hey!”

The sharp tone made Aaron’s head snap back up, staring at the man with wide eyes.

“You have a phone?! Use it! Call an ambulance! And get those fires under control!” The stranger pointed toward the crates that were still happily burning away from the earlier fight.

“I… I don’t know if I can…”

“Then just call 911!” He turned away from Aaron again, talking softly as he crouched over Elizabeth’s body.

Aaron grabbed at his cell with shaking hands. The least he could do was not make things worse.

~

**_SHE’S DYING!_ **

Eddie gritted his teeth at the weak protest from Venom. He was too weak to take control and get Liz to a hospital. They were trapped here until an ambulance came.

“Come on, Liz. Stay with me. Wake up, please.” He needed her to wake up. Eddie could barely look at the burns on her arms, they made him nauseous. Why had she done that?! To protect them, of course. Eddie was going to be very angry with Liz soon. And she’d have to listen to a lecture about stupidly heroic acts once she was better. Because she was going to be better.

Eddie felt for the pulse in Liz’s throat. It was weak and fast. Her skin was becoming cool to the touch. She was going into shock and who knew how bad the trauma from her concussion was on top of the burns.

_Help her, V! Help me save her!_

And to think, at one point he’d felt jealous that Venom might have preferred Liz as a host. Eddie regretted all of that now.

**_CAN’T_** He sounded miserable. **_WOULD HURT HER. SHE IS NOT A SUITABLE HOST._**

Eddie cupped Liz’s face in his hands, bent over her. Helpless. The wail of sirens was growing closer.

“Hang on, Liz. Please. Don’t leave us yet. Please.” Tears fell to splash against Liz’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. That's how I'm ending the chapter. 
> 
> Feed your writer a healthy diet of comments so she can get the next chapter up~


	17. Fallout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm sorry for the long wait. Life kinda hit me over the head. Please forgive me for making you wait on the very last chapter. 
> 
> That being said, thank you all for coming with me on this journey! I've had so much fun writing this fic and reading your comments. You all are amazing. <3
> 
> For now, I'm calling this finished. I may come back to write a sequel for Love is Blind, but it needs a lot of thinking before I do. And right now I've got a lot on my plate, so it'll be a while. 
> 
> Enough of that! For now, enjoy the conclusion for Love is Blind and thank you for reading!

The realization of consciousness came slowly. It wasn’t any one moment of awareness, just a progressive understanding that she could distantly feel her body. Liz was fairly sure she should be grateful that her body felt so distant. Her head felt fuzzy too. She remained still, just processing what was going on around her while she tried to get her brain working.

Her breath was warm against her lips and nose, strangely so since the rest of her felt cool. And there was a pressure of something against her chin, cheeks, and nose. Something beeped off to her left, a rhythmic sound, and hushed voices came through walls. They were too soft to understand. It was the rhythmic beeping, a heart monitor, that caused her brain to drag up a location. Hospital. She was in a hospital. Why?

Liz gave a soft groan, breath rasping in her throat. It sent a sudden surge of pain through the cloud of pain medication. At least, she assumed that was why her brain felt like it was stuffed with wool and her body almost dislocated from her.

“Liz.” The voice was hoarse, carrying a hopeful desperation. The voice, Eddie’s voice, stirred her memories of why she was now in the hospital. Aaron. Fire. Venom and Eddie screaming. Pain.

“Eddie.” She managed to croak back at him, mostly so he would know that she was actually awake.

A chair scraped along the ground to her right as Eddie moved. “Hold on a second. I’ve got water for you.” He murmured and pulled the weight away from her mouth. The end of a plastic straw touched her lips and Liz was grateful that he wasn’t going to accidently dump half a cup of water on her. It wouldn’t have been his fault, everything was too fuzzy for her to try and coordinate herself. She sipped slowly, letting the cool water slide down her throat.

“Thanks.” Liz was pleased to find that it was a bit easier to talk now. “You both okay? What happened?”

Eddie chuckled as he sat back down in the chair. “You’ve got your priorities. V and I are fine now. He’d be hovering protectively over you, but we’re in a hospital. They, uh, make us kind anxious. Bad experiences. Tell me what the last thing you remember and I’ll try to fill you in.” His voice was low and soft, meant to sound comforting. Liz had to blink back tears of relief when he told her that both of them were alright.

“Aaron?” He’d been right that ‘both’ had meant him and Venom, but she still had some concern for the teen.

“I’ll get to him, answer the question.” Eddie said with a faint snort.

“I heard you hit the ground. Ven had screamed. I… I tried to grab Aaron. I wasn’t sure where he was, too many sounds all at once. Then… heat and pain.” Her voice grew softer as she spoke and Liz ended with a cough, throat feeling like she’d scraped it with sandpaper.

“Drink first.” Eddie placed the end of the straw back in her mouth so she could get some relief. “You got burned, Liz. It… it was bad.” He paused and pulled the straw away, setting the glass to the side to give himself a moment. “You scared us bad. We thought you were gonna die.” Eddie took a deep breath. “Aaron stopped freaking out and called an ambulance. He’s alive. Turned himself over to the police and explained what he was, at least tried to. I think they’re going to have him transferred to somewhere that can help him. We… uh, said we’d been attacked in the warehouse and that he’d helped drive off the attackers, but you were hurt. So, I think they’ll go lenient on him, accidents from his abilities.”

Liz smiled gently, her head tilted toward Eddie’s voice. “Thank you for that. I can’t imagine you like him much.”

“I don’t. But you do.” Eddie sighed. “So, we all made it out alive. You’re the worst off. You have a concussion, I’m assuming that’s from Aaron?”  He paused long enough for Liz to give a slight nod. “Yeah. You have burns in your throat and lungs from hot air, but the doctor said those weren’t too bad. You had an oxygen mask on, if you’re curious. It’s your arms that took the most damage. What… what were you thinking, throwing yourself at Aaron?! You had to know he was wielding fire!” Eddie sounded like he was struggling to keep his voice from rising in anger and worry. He probably didn’t want a nurse poking their nose into the room yet.

“I couldn’t let him kill you, Eddie. I couldn’t lose you.” Liz swallowed hard, feeling the wave of remembered panic. “I didn’t know if Ven was even alive. I heard him scream in pain and I know fire can really hurt him. If I’d been brave enough to do something sooner, I… I couldn’t lose you too.”

Eddie’s fingers brushed gently against her cheeks, wiping away the tears that had slipped past her self-control. “I’m sorry you were put in that situation.” He whispered tenderly. “Do you want me to continue? Or do you want to rest?”

Liz smiled faintly and shook her head a little. “I feel kinda… fuzzy. Musta put me on the good pain meds. I think I can handle whatever you say without freaking out.” She had a feeling that she wouldn’t be so calm without those pain meds clouding her thinking. Maybe hearing it now would allow her to process it a bit before she was really able to think.

“Okay.” Eddie blew out a slow breath and stroked his thumb gently across her cheek. “You have third degrees burns. They had to do skin grafts on your left hand and part of your right arm. Second degree burns expand out from there. The doctor says you have a high probability of regaining full use of your left hand if you’re careful and go through physical therapy. They also have you on some antibiotics.”

She leaned her face slightly into his touch. “Wow. That sounds pretty awful. And like it would hurt a lot.”

Eddie couldn’t stop a surprised laugh from escaping him. “Yeah, that’s probably why you’re on the good stuff, hun.”

“I… I don’t wanna be alone, Eddie.” Liz whispered the words, feeling herself falling slowly down into the quiet again. She was just too tired to stay awake much longer.

“We’ll be right here. Both of us. We’re not going anywhere.”

The last thing she remembered before falling back asleep was the brush of Eddie’s lips against her forehead.

~

“The splint itches.” Liz gritted her teeth in frustration. She couldn’t move her left arm at all, it was still suspended up on a sling to keep the swelling down.

“Mmhm. Finish up your last hand stretch and I’ll feed you dinner.” Eddie didn’t sound nearly as sympathetic as Liz had wanted. To be fair, he’d been listening to her growl and grumble for the last four days as they weened her off the pain killers. She was still in the hospital. The doctors wanted to keep an eye on the worst of her burns, and they were concerned about her damaging the skin grafts.

Liz slowly spread the fingers of her right hand, which hadn’t been burned as badly. That one was ready for the start of physical therapy. It hurt, skin pulling tight. But she didn’t want to lose any mobility. Her hands were a large part of how she interacted with the world. The doctors had sounded positive around her getting full feeling back in the right hand. But the left… While she might get her range of motion back with lots of physical therapy, it was unlikely that she’d get full sensitivity back. There was too much damage to sensitive nerves. It only made her more determined to take care of her right hand, since it had better odds.

“There, done. I can’t wait to be able to feed and take care of myself again.” Liz’s voice turned wistful. Being unable to use her hands was degrading in so many ways. She might never enjoy bathrooms again.

Eddie chuckled and scraped a fork across a plate. “Open up, you can have the mushy hospital dinner now.”

Liz sighed and obediently opened her mouth, trying to swallow the bite with minimal tasting. “I miss fruit cups and chips. Real fruit cups, not that junk the nurse tried to offer me.”

“We’ll get you as much as you want once you get out of here.” Eddie promised. Liz felt a warm tendril from Venom slide under her head to help support it as Eddie offered another bite. The symbiote had been quite during the days spent in the hospital. Eddie couldn’t spend the night with her and it was dangerous for Venom to show himself. Still, Liz didn’t mind getting to share this time with Eddie. It was pleasantly normal. Despite the burns.

“Let’s make it a date. I’m holding you to it.” Liz quickly swallowed the next mouthful of mush.

~

Liz didn’t leave the hospital until two weeks later, when her right hand was deemed healed enough for use. It still needed physical therapy to ensure the muscles and tendons finished healing. She didn’t care. Finally, she would be able to start taking care of herself again. No more help in the bathroom, no more hand feedings, no more treating her like an invalid. Well, mostly at least. The third degree burns on her left hand and part of her right arm still had to be cared for every day. Eddie had offered his services on that front, taking lessons from the nurse on how to look after Liz’s injuries.

As soon as they walked into Liz’s apartment Eddie gently touched her shoulder. “V is going nuts, wants to be able to hold you.”

“I’m surprised by how patient he’s been up to this point.” Liz stated teasingly. A moment later she felt large, warm arms wrap around her waist and carefully lift her up. Venom was treating her like she was made of glass as he settled on the couch and cradled her form against himself.

**“NOT PATIENT, WORRIED. YOU WERE BADLY HURT, LITTLE BIRD. WE DID NOT PROTECT YOU.”** Venom was nuzzling his face against the top of her head and she could feel the rumble coming from his chest.

Liz tilted her head up and placed a gentle kiss along the edge of his jaw. “I don’t need you to protect me, Ven. I need you to support me. We look out for each other and we cover each other’s weaknesses.”

**“WE?”** He sounded amused now, that long tongue sliding down along her cheek. It left a cool trail in its wake.

“Yes, we. As in you, me, and Eddie.” Liz tried to push the distracting tongue away. Venom just curled it around her right wrist, testing the healing flesh gently.

**“MMMM, WE LIKE WE.”**

Liz smiled faintly, amused by his antics. Venom wouldn’t be the least bit disgusted by the scars she was likely to have from the burns. Appearance mattered about as much to him as it did to her. Eddie had made his stance about it clear while they were still in the hospital. He wasn’t leaving her.

“Me too, Ven.”

~

The doctors had been right. After three months of physical therapy Liz had gotten almost the full range of motion back in her left hand, but she’d lost some of the sensitivity. A few months ago, that would have been devasting, but now it was mildly inconvenient. Besides, Liz had too many good things in her life to let one raincloud darken her life. Not a day went by without Eddie and Venom in her life. Eddie would stop by with food and gossip. Sometimes he’d spend the night with her. Other times it was Venom, sneaking in through the window for a chat and some chocolate. He was still terrible about closing the window behind himself. Liz had managed to convince him to stay and cuddle with her instead of going back out a few times.

Tonight was a date night. Her boys had taken her out for a swing to enjoy the cool night air. Now they were sitting on the edge of a roof, Venom’s arms curled around her body to keep her close. Liz felt warm and safe here, head resting against his chest as she listened to both his heartbeat and the heartbeat of the city around them.

“Do you know how to dance?” She broke the quiet between them suddenly.

**“NO.”**

“Not really, I know a little.” Eddie’s voice came a moment later. Which meant they were doing that weird half and half face thing again. It didn’t disturb Liz the way it used to, but it was still odd.

“I want to dance. We’re up on a roof, no one will see us.” Liz grinned playfully, head tilted up toward their face.

They lifted her up and stepped back from the edge of the roof before setting Liz’s feet on the rooftop. She kept her hands on their arms as Venom’s heat vanished and she was holding warm leather instead of Venom’s slick skin.

“Alright. But, uh, there’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about too.” Eddie sounded anxious as he wrapped one arm around her waist and grabbed her right hand with the other. They swayed in place for a moment before Eddie started to lead her in a slow dance.

Liz smiled happily, trusting Eddie’s lead as he spun her away and then back to himself. His hands were warm and comforting on her skin. She waited for him to continue his line of thought, but he didn’t seem sure how to say whatever it was.

“You know, you’ve been in and out of my apartment a lot the last couple months. Do you even really use yours?” Liz asked as she was pulled back in close to him.

“Well, yeah. We need a place to crash too.” He sounded startled by the question, pulled out of his own thoughts. Or was he pulled out of a silent discussion with Venom? No way to know for sure.

Liz shrugged slightly. “I was just thinking… wouldn’t it be easier if you moved in with me?”

Eddie stumbled to a stop, still holding her. “Are you serious? You want us to move in with you? What if we mess this up? What if we make a mess or-“

She leaned up and kissed him to make him stop talking. The first kiss missed, bumping her nose against his, but the second was much more successful. Liz pulled back, settling back on her feet again. “We’ll deal with that together. I value having you in my life more than I value the perfect order of my apartment. I’ll traverse the dangers of dropped shoes for you, Eddie.”

“I love you.” The words were blurted out, more of a startled statement than anything else. “I love you, Liz.” That time his voice was full of too much emotion. Eddie wrapped his hands around Liz’s waist and lifted her into the air, swinging around in a quick circle before setting her back down and kissing her this time.

When he finally pulled away, Liz panted and chuckled. “I love you too, Eddie. I take that as a yes?”

“Yes. Yes, we want to move in with you.”

**“FINALLY! WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO SAY THE WORDS, EDDIE?!”** Venom sounded so exasperated and amused. Liz smiled and lifted a hand so that Venom could nuzzle his head into her touch.

“It wasn’t that simple…” Eddie muttered, sounding embarrassed.

**“YES. IT WAS. NOW, DO WE LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER?”**

Liz tilted her head. “Ven, have you been watching Disney movies again?”

**“NO!”** Oh, that defensive tone could only mean ‘Yes’.

Eddie groaned softly. “V, I told you to stop watching movies while I’m sleeping.”

**“WE GET BORED. WE COULD GO EAT SOME PEOPLE INSTEAD.”**

“No, no, I’ll accept the movies.” Eddie was quick to backtrack on that one. He was still a little grossed out by eating people. It was better just to not think about it.

Liz scratched gently along the underside of Venom’s jaw, eliciting a rumble from the symbiote. “To answer your question, Ven, no. Happily ever after isn’t a real thing. But we can make the most of every moment we have together. The good ones and the bad. We have each other, so we can’t be doing too bad.”

Venom rumbled happily as she continued to scratch along his jaw. **“EDDIE, WE WANT THE RING.”**

“Ring?” Liz asked in confusion, listening to the choking noises coming from Eddie. He’d tightened his grip on her waist as well.

“VENOM! We can’t just… you can’t just say that! We’re not… we haven’t even-“

**“WE LOVE HER, GIVE HER THE RING SO THAT THE OTHER MALES KNOW SHE’S OURS.”** Venom stated imperiously.

Liz could feel the heat rising to her face. “Oh. Ven, we need to have a talk about that. Uh, marriage might be a little too soon. Not that I don’t love you both, but we haven’t… I mean we don’t know… what if…”

**“YOU ARE BOTH MAKING THIS TOO COMPLICATED. WE SLEEP TOGETHER. WE WILL LIVE TOGETHER. WE LOVE EACH OTHER. WE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, LITTLE BIRD.”**

Liz leaned her face against Eddie’s chest, shoulders shaking.

“Liz, I’m sorry. You know how he is. He only learns enough about culture to suit his own purposes. Don’t be upset.” Eddie had shifted his hold to carefully rub a hand up and down her back.

She tilted her face back up toward Eddie and threw her arms around his neck. There was no stopping it now, laughter bubbled free as she peppered Eddie’s face with quick kisses.

“I love you! I love you both so much! Life would be so boring without you both!”

No, there was no such thing as happily ever after. Sorrow and pain always find their way into life. But without those emotions, how would we ever know what happiness is?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


End file.
